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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. file — a document
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. branch — a division
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. file — a tool
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. fine — all right
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. file — a line of people

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