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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 120 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. court — of law
  4. bore — to drill
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. tear — from crying
  13. branch — a division
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rash — hasty
  19. tear — to rip
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — a position
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ground — crushed
  24. rash — a series

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