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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. row — a line
  3. season — of the year
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. current — electric
  7. wound — an injury
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. current — happening now
  10. pitch — completely
  11. staff — employees
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. staff — employees
  14. season — in sport
  15. wound — an injury
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. branch — a division
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. row — to paddle
  20. current — of water
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. staff — a stick
  24. row — a quarrel

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