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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bound — tied together
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bound — obliged
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. game — a match
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. season — of the year
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bound — certain
  15. degree — temperature
  16. branch — a division
  17. season — in sport
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. degree — from a university
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. game — wild animals
  24. degree — an amount

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