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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. saw — the tool
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. chair — a leader
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. squash — the sport
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. squash — to crush
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. mate — a friend
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. temple — a place of worship

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