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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. track — a song
  3. can — a tin
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. deal — to handle
  6. hand — in cards
  7. branch — a division
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. can — to be able to
  10. root — of a word
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. track — a path
  15. hand — help
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. can — a tin
  18. root — of a plant
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. track — to keep track
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. root — the cause

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