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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. branch — a division
  4. last — finally
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. land — to come down
  8. mate — a friend
  9. sharp — clever
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mate — to breed
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mate — a partner
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. land — ground
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. last — final
  21. wound — an injury
  22. land — a country
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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