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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. firm — decided
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chest — of your body
  7. march — the month
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. season — of the year
  13. firm — steady
  14. chest — of your body
  15. firm — a company
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. season — in sport
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. game — a match
  22. march — music
  23. chest — a box
  24. racket — for tennis

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