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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  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. mug — a face
  2. track — a song
  3. mate — a partner
  4. track — a path
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. season — in sport
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. toast — bread
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. mug — to rob
  15. track — to keep track
  16. mate — to breed
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. season — of the year
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. mug — a cup
  23. toast — the most admired
  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