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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mate — to breed
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. fine — all right
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — a partner
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. can — a tin
  17. branch — a division
  18. racket — for tennis

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