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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. land — a country
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. mug — a face
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bass — low music
  10. game — a match
  11. mug — to rob
  12. land — ground
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mug — a cup
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. branch — a division
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pop — music
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pop — soda
  23. land — to come down
  24. mark — a grade

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