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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rush — hurry
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. spell — letters
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. spell — a short time
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. spell — magic
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mate — a partner
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. branch — a division
  24. mate — to breed

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