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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. branch — a division
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. kick — in football
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. season — of the year
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. shower — to wash
  12. game — a match
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. game — wild animals
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. root — the cause
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. season — in sport
  21. root — of a word
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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