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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. net — in sport
  5. firm — decided
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. net — after costs
  9. firm — a company
  10. rash — hasty
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. net — for catching
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. rash — a series
  18. mate — a friend
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. deal — to handle
  22. firm — steady
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mouse — the animal

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