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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 116 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mark — a trace
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rock — music
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. game — a match
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rock — a stone
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. game — wild animals

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