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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 116 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. branch — a division
  3. mate — a friend
  4. kick — in football
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. firm — decided
  7. bulb — for light
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bulb — for light
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — steady
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. mate — to breed
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bulb — of a plant

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