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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. object — to protest
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — all right
  9. mate — a partner
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. branch — a division
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. object — a thing
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. object — an aim
  19. court — of law
  20. mate — to breed
  21. saw — the tool
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. mate — a friend

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