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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. fall — to drop
  3. squash — the sport
  4. fall — the season
  5. branch — a division
  6. ground — the earth
  7. squash — to crush
  8. net — after costs
  9. ground — a position
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. ground — crushed
  13. fall — to drop
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. mate — to breed
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. net — for catching
  19. mark — a grade
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a skill
  23. net — in sport
  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