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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. clip — for paper
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bass — the fish
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bass — low music
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. last — to go on
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. press — to push
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. branch — a division
  15. last — finally
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pitch — completely
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. last — final
  24. press — a publisher

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