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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 120 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. saw — the tool
  3. swing — to play on
  4. branch — a division
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. present — there
  9. swing — music
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mug — a face
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. mug — a cup
  15. cold — not warm
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. mug — to rob
  19. squash — the sport
  20. present — a gift
  21. saw — the tool
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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