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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. charge — a price
  3. tube — the underground
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. last — to go on
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wound — an injury
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. firm — steady
  10. charge — in control
  11. firm — a company
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. charge — electricity
  16. rule — government
  17. firm — decided
  18. tube — a container
  19. rule — a law
  20. bat — the animal
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. last — finally
  23. wound — an injury
  24. branch — a division

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com