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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bank — for money
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pit — a hole
  7. root — of a word
  8. bank — for money
  9. bark — to shout
  10. last — to go on
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. root — the cause
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. game — wild animals
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pit — in a race
  19. game — a match
  20. bank — of a river
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. key — in music

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