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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. club — for golf
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. clip — a video
  8. mate — a partner
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. club — a group
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pitch — completely
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. clip — for paper
  15. mate — a friend
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. branch — a division
  19. club — for dancing
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. clip — to cut
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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