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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. shower — rain
  3. branch — a division
  4. fine — all right
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mate — a friend
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. shower — to wash
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. fine — high quality
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mate — to breed
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. branch — of a bank

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