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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mate — a partner
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. game — wild animals
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. band — a music group
  10. mug — a face
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. mug — a cup
  18. game — a match
  19. mate — to breed
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. mate — a friend
  22. band — a ring
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. deal — to handle

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