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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. chip — to eat
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. chip — for betting
  6. rash — hasty
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. saw — the tool
  13. field — a subject
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. present — a gift
  16. rash — a series
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. field — farmland
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. branch — a division
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. field — for sport
  24. present — the time now

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