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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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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: bat · rush · chip · chest · safe · branch · cap · season

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — for betting
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. branch — a division
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. cap — of ice
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. chest — a box
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — a hat
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. rush — hurry

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