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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. game — a match
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bark — to shout
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. mate — a partner
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. court — of law
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — to bend
  13. last — final
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. game — wild animals
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — a division
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. lean — thin
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mate — a friend

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