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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. kick — in football
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bass — low music
  6. mine — for digging
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. chip — for betting
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bass — the fish
  17. branch — a division
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. branch — of a bank

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