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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. club — a group
  4. pop — soda
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pop — music
  8. club — for dancing
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. club — for golf
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — in a road
  15. cold — not warm
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pop — to visit
  20. swing — to play on
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. swing — in golf
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. swing — 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