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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitch — completely
  6. stock — goods
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. cap — of ice
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. branch — a division
  23. chest — a box
  24. stock — shares

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