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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. mate — a friend
  12. march — the month
  13. pop — soda
  14. march — the month
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. scale — in music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. scale — size or range
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. march — music
  23. mate — to breed
  24. branch — a division

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