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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · cabinet · present · row · mug · mate · branch · sharp

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mug — a face
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bat — the animal
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. present — a gift
  11. row — a line
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. present — the time now
  14. mug — to rob
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mate — a partner
  17. branch — a division
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. present — there

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