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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wound — an injury
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. ground — a position
  7. fine — high quality
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. fine — all right
  10. ground — the earth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. row — a line
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. mate — a partner
  15. lie — to recline
  16. ground — crushed
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wound — an injury
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. branch — a division
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. row — to paddle
  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