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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mate — a friend
  3. can — to be able to
  4. mate — to breed
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. court — of a king
  8. can — a tin
  9. face — part of the head
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. face — to confront
  13. present — the time now
  14. can — a tin
  15. court — for sport
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. face — to point toward
  19. court — of law
  20. mate — a partner
  21. march — the month
  22. present — there
  23. present — a gift
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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