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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — there
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fork — in a road
  10. net — for catching
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. present — a gift
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. net — in sport
  19. pitch — completely
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. shower — to wash
  22. branch — a division
  23. shower — rain
  24. net — after costs

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