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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. branch — a division
  4. game — wild animals
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. cell — a phone
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ball — a dance
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. pit — in a race
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. ball — a great time
  18. cell — in biology
  19. perch — the fish
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. game — a match
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. ball — a round shape

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