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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. fine — high quality
  6. present — there
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. branch — a division
  9. fall — to drop
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. present — the time now
  12. vault — a safe
  13. mate — to breed
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. mate — a partner
  16. fine — all right
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fall — to drop
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fall — the season
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. present — a gift

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