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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 120 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. scale — size or range
  3. race — humankind
  4. pop — soda
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mate — to breed
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. scale — in music
  11. mate — a friend
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pop — music
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. branch — a division
  16. pop — to visit
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — the arms race
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mate — a partner
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. mouse — the animal
  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