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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pop — music
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. ground — the earth
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. ground — crushed
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. ground — a position
  11. plane — a tool
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. branch — a division
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — bread

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