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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. charge — a price
  8. cold — an illness
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cold — not warm
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pitch — completely
  14. key — for a lock
  15. charge — in control
  16. row — a line
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. charge — electricity
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. key — in music
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. key — the most important part

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