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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. net — in sport
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. mate — to breed
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. mate — a partner
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. wake — a trail
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. board — a committee
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. board — to get on
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — after costs

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