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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. root — of a word
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. hand — help
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rule — government
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. branch — a division
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. root — the cause
  16. rule — a law
  17. pitch — completely
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. shower — rain
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. hand — in cards
  23. root — of a plant
  24. ruler — a monarch

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