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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. branch — a division
  4. drill — army training
  5. pitch — completely
  6. mark — a trace
  7. drill — a practice
  8. land — to come down
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. land — ground
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mark — a grade
  23. land — a country
  24. cold — not warm

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