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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cap — a lid
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. game — a match
  6. branch — a division
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mate — a friend
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. row — a line
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cap — a hat
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. game — wild animals
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — temperature

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