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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. band — a ring
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. row — a line
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. staff — employees
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. branch — a division
  13. bear — the animal
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. row — to paddle
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pitch — completely
  18. staff — employees
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bear — the animal
  24. perch — the fish

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