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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 120 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. branch — a division
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. game — a match
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. file — a document
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. club — for dancing
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. club — for golf
  15. game — wild animals
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. file — a tool
  20. club — a group
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — to breed
  24. hide — to keep secret

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