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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 116 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. band — a ring
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bound — obliged
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. bound — tied together
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. band — a music group
  18. bound — certain
  19. court — of law
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. season — of the year
  22. chip — to eat
  23. season — in sport
  24. band — a rubber band

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