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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 · bank · racket · squash · date · branch · pit · chest

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. chest — a box
  3. game — wild animals
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. squash — to crush
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. game — a match
  10. squash — the sport
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pit — a hole
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. branch — a division
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bank — for money
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bank — for money
  19. pit — in a race
  20. date — the fruit
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bank — of a river
  23. chest — of your body
  24. squash — the vegetable

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