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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. fine — high quality
  8. file — a tool
  9. cell — in biology
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lean — thin
  15. bark — to shout
  16. fine — all right
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — to bend
  24. pitch — completely

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