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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. tube — a container
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. tube — the underground
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. toast — bread
  9. season — of the year
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pitch — completely
  13. game — a match
  14. swing — music
  15. game — wild animals
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. branch — a division
  19. swing — in golf
  20. pound — a weight
  21. season — in sport
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pound — to hit hard

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