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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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Word bank
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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: game · bat · race · rest · branch · pound · cabinet · charge

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. rest — a break
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. race — a contest
  5. charge — electricity
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bat — the animal
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. race — humankind
  15. game — a match
  16. charge — in control
  17. game — wild animals
  18. branch — a division
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. race — the arms race
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. charge — a price
  24. cabinet — ministers

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