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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. rock — music
  4. pitch — completely
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. snap — to click
  18. content — the amount
  19. degree — an amount
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. branch — a division
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. rock — a stone

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