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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chest — of your body
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. march — the month
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. march — the month
  11. swing — to play on
  12. mate — to breed
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. branch — a division
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. swing — in golf
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. march — music
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. swing — music
  23. chest — a box
  24. mate — a partner

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