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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 120 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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. season — of the year
  3. game — a match
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mug — a face
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mug — a cup
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mug — to rob
  16. branch — a division
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rest — a break
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. season — in sport

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