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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. staff — employees
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. snap — to click
  6. staff — a stick
  7. mate — a partner
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. staff — employees
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pitch — completely
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. mate — a friend
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. branch — a division
  22. saw — the tool
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mate — to breed

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