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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. squash — to crush
  3. firm — a company
  4. squash — the sport
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. branch — a division
  11. row — to paddle
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. chip — for betting
  15. firm — decided
  16. court — for sport
  17. firm — steady
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. chip — to eat
  20. snap — to click
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. branch — of a bank

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