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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. dip — to sink
  5. branch — a division
  6. season — in sport
  7. mate — a friend
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. land — to come down
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rest — what's left
  12. game — a match
  13. season — of the year
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rest — a break
  16. land — a country
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rest — what's left
  21. land — ground
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mate — to breed
  24. branch — of a tree

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