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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: swing · fine · game · branch · toast · arm · lie · pitcher

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. game — a match
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. game — wild animals
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. swing — in golf
  16. toast — bread
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. swing — music
  19. branch — a division
  20. swing — to play on
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. lie — to recline
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. lie — an untruth

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