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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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. march — the month
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. land — a country
  6. bass — the fish
  7. rule — a law
  8. land — ground
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rule — government
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bass — low music
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. march — the month
  16. press — to push
  17. march — music
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. branch — a division
  20. key — the most important part
  21. press — newspapers
  22. key — in music
  23. press — a publisher
  24. rule — to rule out

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