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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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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. field — a subject
  9. snap — to click
  10. suit — in cards
  11. branch — a division
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. bass — low music
  15. field — for sport
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. can — a tin
  20. suit — to fit
  21. field — farmland
  22. bass — the fish
  23. suit — clothes
  24. pitch — completely

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