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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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. drill — army training
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. branch — a division
  5. drill — a practice
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. season — in sport
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. land — a country
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. march — the month
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mate — to breed
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. land — ground
  22. march — the month
  23. drill — the tool
  24. march — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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