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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. track — a song
  3. object — an aim
  4. track — to keep track
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. wake — a trail
  7. branch — a division
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. track — a path
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. object — to protest
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. object — a thing
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. jam — in traffic

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