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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. mug — a face
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mate — to breed
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — in football
  9. game — a match
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. track — a song
  12. rash — hasty
  13. scale — in music
  14. mate — a friend
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. mug — to rob
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mug — a cup
  20. rash — a series
  21. mate — a partner
  22. game — wild animals
  23. scale — size or range
  24. branch — of a tree

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