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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. march — the month
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. march — the month
  7. ground — crushed
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. net — in sport
  10. face — part of the head
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mate — to breed
  14. march — music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — low music
  17. mate — a friend
  18. ground — a position
  19. face — to confront
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. branch — a division
  23. bass — the fish
  24. face — to point toward

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