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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. firm — a company
  3. pit — a hole
  4. land — to come down
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pit — in a race
  8. firm — steady
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — a contest
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. firm — decided
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. land — ground
  23. cue — for pool
  24. land — a country

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