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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 116 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pop — soda
  4. mug — to rob
  5. degree — an amount
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mug — a cup
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. degree — temperature
  12. fall — to drop
  13. branch — a division
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. mug — a face
  17. pitch — completely
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — music

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