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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pitch — completely
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pop — to visit
  9. press — to push
  10. club — for golf
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. press — a publisher
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pop — music
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pop — soda
  21. wind — moving air
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — a group
  24. wind — to turn a key

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