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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. cap — a hat
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. roll — a cake
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. ground — crushed
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cap — of ice
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ground — a position
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. cap — a lid
  20. kick — in football
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. roll — a list

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