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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mate — to breed
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — a committee
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mug — to rob
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mate — a friend
  12. chip — for betting
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. board — to get on
  17. branch — a division
  18. chip — to eat
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. cap — a hat
  23. mug — a cup
  24. chip — in a computer

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