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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chip — for betting
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. mug — a cup
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. race — a contest
  7. bat — the animal
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mug — to rob
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. mug — a face
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. chip — to eat
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. net — for catching
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. branch — a division

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