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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mate — to breed
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mate — a friend
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. mate — a partner
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. branch — a division
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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