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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. rush — hurry
  3. roll — a list
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bound — certain
  6. march — the month
  7. bound — tied together
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. march — the month
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pit — in a race
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. march — music
  18. branch — a division
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. roll — a cake
  23. track — a song
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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