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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. file — a line of people
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. march — the month
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. file — a document
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. fine — high quality
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. saw — the tool
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. fine — all right
  21. branch — a division
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. file — a tool
  24. bat — 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