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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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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. branch — a division
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. last — finally
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. rash — a series
  8. mark — a trace
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. last — final
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — a phone
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. last — to go on
  19. mark — a grade
  20. kid — child
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. kid — to tease
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rash — on the skin

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