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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pit — in a race
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chest — a box
  6. wound — an injury
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. charge — electricity
  11. branch — a division
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. land — ground
  15. lie — to recline
  16. pit — a hole
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. chest — of your body
  19. charge — in control
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. charge — a price

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