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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 120 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. staff — employees
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. staff — employees
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a great time
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pitch — completely
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — in sport
  22. cap — a lid
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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