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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. branch — a division
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. sharp — clever
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pitch — completely
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. perch — the fish
  24. game — a match

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