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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mark — a grade
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mark — a trace
  7. cap — of ice
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — a division
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. last — finally
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. cap — a lid
  17. last — to go on
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bark — to shout
  20. last — final
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. branch — of a tree

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