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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. mug — a cup
  3. branch — a division
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. suit — in cards
  7. land — ground
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mug — a face
  10. file — a document
  11. suit — clothes
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. land — a country
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mine — for digging
  19. land — to come down
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. suit — to fit
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. mate — to breed

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