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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. mug — a face
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. shower — rain
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. mug — to rob
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. net — in sport
  12. mug — a cup
  13. net — after costs
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. net — for catching
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rule — a law
  18. squash — the sport
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rule — government
  22. mark — a trace
  23. squash — to crush
  24. rule — to rule out

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