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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. mate — to breed
  2. branch — a division
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. mate — a friend
  6. rule — a law
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mark — a grade
  10. rule — government
  11. game — wild animals
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. spell — letters
  14. game — a match
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. mate — a partner
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. mark — a trace
  23. sharp — exactly
  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