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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. march — the month
  7. fine — high quality
  8. board — a committee
  9. march — music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. tear — to rip
  15. march — the month
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. mate — a friend
  18. fine — all right
  19. tear — from crying
  20. board — to get on
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. mine — for digging
  23. branch — a division
  24. racket — for tennis

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