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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. branch — a division
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — to breed
  5. court — of a king
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. firm — decided
  12. season — of the year
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. court — of law
  15. firm — a company
  16. firm — steady
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. court — for sport
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. mark — a trace

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