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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. roll — a cake
  3. rock — a stone
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. rule — a law
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — for a lock
  12. cold — an illness
  13. rock — music
  14. roll — a list
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rule — government
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. lean — to bend
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. pitch — completely
  23. cold — not warm
  24. pitch — a sports field

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