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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 covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. toast — bread
  3. branch — a division
  4. ball — a dance
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mate — to breed
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. ground — a position
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. mate — a partner
  19. ball — a great time
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wind — moving air

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