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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rest — what's left
  3. row — to paddle
  4. land — to come down
  5. court — for sport
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rest — a break
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. row — a line
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. deal — to handle
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. court — of law
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. land — ground
  20. rest — what's left
  21. land — a country
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mate — to breed
  24. court — of a king

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