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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. chair — a leader
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. net — in sport
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. cold — an illness
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. cue — a signal
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cue — for pool

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