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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. lean — thin
  3. staff — employees
  4. scale — size or range
  5. race — a contest
  6. lean — to bend
  7. staff — employees
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. branch — a division
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mate — to breed
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. staff — a stick
  22. race — humankind
  23. bass — low music
  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