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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. net — in sport
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — completely
  6. mark — a trace
  7. branch — a division
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mark — a grade
  12. present — the time now
  13. clip — for paper
  14. fall — the season
  15. present — a gift
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. net — after costs
  18. clip — a video
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. present — there
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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