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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. pit — in a race
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. content — the amount
  8. cell — in biology
  9. chest — a box
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. content — happy
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cell — a phone
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. branch — a division
  24. chest — of your body

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