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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bound — tied together
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mate — a partner
  15. club — a group
  16. clip — a video
  17. club — for golf
  18. bound — obliged
  19. clip — to cut
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. branch — a division
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bound — certain

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