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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 120 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. field — farmland
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rest — a break
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pitch — completely
  12. spring — the season
  13. branch — a division
  14. rock — music
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. field — for sport
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — a face
  20. field — a subject
  21. rock — a stone
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mug — to rob
  24. rest — what's left

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