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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cell — a phone
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. club — for golf
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. lean — thin
  13. branch — a division
  14. cell — in biology
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. club — for dancing
  17. lean — to bend
  18. mate — a friend
  19. club — a group
  20. game — a match
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mate — to breed

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