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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. rock — music
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — to rob
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. kick — in football
  6. mate — to breed
  7. firm — steady
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. court — of a king
  10. mug — a face
  11. branch — a division
  12. firm — decided
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. clip — for paper
  15. court — of law
  16. clip — to cut
  17. firm — a company
  18. rock — a stone
  19. mate — a partner
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. clip — a video
  23. court — for sport
  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