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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pitch — completely
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. last — finally
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. last — to go on
  14. branch — a division
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. kick — in football
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. dip — to sink
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. shower — rain
  24. kick — with a leg

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