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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. rock — a stone
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rock — music
  12. branch — a division
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. snap — to click
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. branch — of a tree

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