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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pop — soda
  9. rock — music
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. game — a match
  12. pop — music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. game — wild animals
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. rock — a stone
  20. branch — a division
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pop — to visit
  24. game — a kind of play

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