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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — a division
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. season — of the year
  6. bat — the animal
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mug — a face
  9. club — for golf
  10. march — music
  11. club — for dancing
  12. game — wild animals
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. march — the month
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a cup
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. game — a match
  21. march — the month
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. club — a group
  24. bat — in an idiom

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