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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 120 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pitch — completely
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. row — to paddle
  5. rock — music
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. game — a match
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. cap — a lid
  13. content — happy
  14. rock — a stone
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. content — the amount
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. cap — of ice
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. branch — a division
  23. row — a line
  24. content — videos and posts

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