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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. mate — a partner
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bat — the animal
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. chair — a leader
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. mate — to breed
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. branch — a division
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. mate — a friend
  20. fine — high quality
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bass — low music
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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