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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. mate — to breed
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mate — a partner
  13. toast — bread
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mate — a friend
  17. cue — a hint
  18. ground — crushed
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cue — for pool
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. racket — a loud noise

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