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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bat — the animal
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. key — the most important part
  8. ground — crushed
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. net — for catching
  11. spell — magic
  12. ball — a dance
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. ground — a position
  17. net — in sport
  18. fine — all right
  19. spell — a short time
  20. key — in music
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. spell — letters
  23. key — for a lock
  24. net — after costs

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