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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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mate — a partner
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. spell — a short time
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. march — the month
  7. perch — the fish
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mate — to breed
  10. march — the month
  11. mate — a friend
  12. march — music
  13. chip — to eat
  14. spell — letters
  15. chip — for betting
  16. spell — magic
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mark — a trace
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mark — a grade
  23. hand — help
  24. branch — a division

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