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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pitch — completely
  3. rule — government
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. mark — a grade
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. capital — money
  14. pit — in a race
  15. field — for sport
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. field — a subject
  18. pit — a hole
  19. mark — a trace
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. field — farmland
  23. capital — a city
  24. rule — a law

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