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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cold — not warm
  4. vault — a safe
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. branch — a division
  7. game — a match
  8. chip — to eat
  9. club — for golf
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. club — for dancing
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. cold — an illness
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. club — a group
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. rock — music
  22. chip — for betting
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. rock — a stone

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