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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. fine — all right
  4. staff — a stick
  5. tube — a container
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. march — music
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. tube — the underground
  11. march — the month
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pass — a permit
  14. branch — a division
  15. march — the month
  16. staff — employees
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — boats
  19. staff — employees
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — to spend time

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