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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 was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. cell — a phone
  3. branch — a division
  4. pitch — completely
  5. board — a committee
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. board — to get on
  9. file — a document
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — all right
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. kick — in football
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cell — in biology
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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