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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mate — a friend
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mate — a partner
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. key — the most important part
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bat — the animal
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. branch — a division
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. mate — to breed
  22. key — for a lock
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. branch — of a tree

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