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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bound — obliged
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. mark — a trace
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. present — a gift
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bound — certain
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. present — the time now
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mate — to breed
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. mark — a grade

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