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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mate — a friend
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. branch — a division
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. key — for a lock
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mark — a grade
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mate — a partner
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mark — a trace

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