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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. branch — a division
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mine — for digging
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. pitch — completely
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. spell — letters
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. branch — of a tree

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