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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: chip · race · fine · game · saw · hand · straw · branch

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. saw — the tool
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — a division
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. race — humankind
  8. chip — for betting
  9. race — a contest
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. hand — in cards
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fine — all right
  15. chip — to eat
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. hand — help
  19. game — wild animals
  20. fine — high quality
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. saw — the tool
  23. race — the arms race
  24. fine — a penalty

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