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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. season — of the year
  4. branch — a division
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. season — in sport
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. suit — clothes
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — a grade
  14. wake — a trail
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. game — a match
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. suit — in cards
  23. game — wild animals
  24. branch — of a bank

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