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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. current — of water
  3. content — the amount
  4. march — the month
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. current — electric
  7. branch — a division
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. content — happy
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. march — music
  18. current — happening now
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. march — the month
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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