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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. track — a song
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bass — the fish
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pass — a permit
  12. branch — a division
  13. kick — in football
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. swing — in golf
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bass — low music
  23. track — a path
  24. pass — to spend time

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