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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mate — a friend
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. mate — to breed
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. branch — a division
  13. mate — a partner
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. land — ground
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. lie — to recline
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. lie — an untruth

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