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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. land — ground
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. hand — help
  8. prune — to trim
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. chair — a leader
  13. branch — a division
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. land — a country
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. fine — all right
  21. land — to come down
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — completely
  24. fine — high quality

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