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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. scale — in music
  3. board — to get on
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. board — a committee
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stock — shares
  20. scale — size or range
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stock — goods
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. rush — to hurry

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