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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. mug — a cup
  3. ground — the earth
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. shower — to wash
  6. ground — crushed
  7. shower — rain
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bat — the animal
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. mug — a face
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. ground — a position
  24. kick — in football

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