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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. last — to go on
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cue — a signal
  5. kid — to tease
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a friend
  12. last — finally
  13. fall — to drop
  14. branch — a division
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — for pool
  19. fall — the season
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. lie — to recline
  23. last — final
  24. mate — a partner

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