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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. tube — a container
  6. game — a match
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. field — for sport
  11. board — to get on
  12. field — a subject
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. tube — the underground
  16. deal — to handle
  17. board — a committee
  18. field — farmland
  19. game — wild animals
  20. dip — to sink
  21. branch — a division
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. dip — to dunk

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