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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. march — the month
  5. pit — a hole
  6. net — in sport
  7. march — the month
  8. pitch — completely
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. march — music
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. foot — a measure
  15. branch — a division
  16. pit — in a race
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. band — a ring
  20. net — after costs
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. net — for catching
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. band — a music group

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