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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. rash — a series
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. row — a line
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. mate — a friend
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rash — hasty
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. branch — a division
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bound — certain
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. bound — obliged
  20. mate — a partner
  21. cell — a phone
  22. row — to paddle
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mate — to breed

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