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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. fine — all right
  13. court — of law
  14. wound — an injury
  15. branch — a division
  16. mate — a friend
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. fine — high quality
  19. court — of a king
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pound — a weight
  22. mate — a partner
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. court — for sport

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