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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pit — in a race
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. spring — of water
  6. perch — the fish
  7. spring — a coil
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — a hole
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. race — a contest
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. content — the amount
  18. race — humankind
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pitch — completely
  21. spring — the season
  22. last — finally
  23. race — the arms race
  24. content — happy

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