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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. last — to go on
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mate — a friend
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. race — a contest
  9. last — finally
  10. vault — a safe
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wake — a trail
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cell — in biology
  18. mate — to breed
  19. race — the arms race
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cell — a phone
  22. race — humankind
  23. last — final
  24. branch — of a bank

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