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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pitch — completely
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. branch — a division
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mark — a grade
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. prune — to trim

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