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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bear — the animal
  5. kick — in football
  6. ground — the earth
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. march — the month
  10. branch — a division
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ground — a position
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. pitch — completely
  18. march — the month
  19. ground — crushed
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bear — the animal
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. prune — to trim

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