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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pitch — completely
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bark — to shout
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. scale — in music
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. wind — moving air
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. branch — a division
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bark — of a tree

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