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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — not warm
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. land — to come down
  6. net — in sport
  7. land — a country
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. mate — to breed
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. net — for catching
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mate — a friend
  17. season — in sport
  18. mate — a partner
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. net — after costs
  21. land — ground
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pit — a hole
  24. season — of the year

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