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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · game · last · chip · bore · bowl · cell · branch

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. game — wild animals
  3. last — final
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cell — a phone
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. chip — for betting
  8. snap — to click
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. game — a match
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. last — to go on
  15. cell — in biology
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. branch — a division
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. last — finally
  22. bore — to tire
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bowl — a dish

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