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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cap — a lid
  4. ball — a dance
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cell — a phone
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pop — soda
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. hand — help
  19. cap — of ice
  20. mate — to breed
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pop — music
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pop — to visit

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