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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. lean — to bend
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pitch — completely
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. mate — to breed
  17. court — of law
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. court — of a king
  20. branch — a division
  21. lean — thin
  22. court — for sport
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. jam — in traffic

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