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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. object — to protest
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. mug — a face
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. object — a thing
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bat — the animal
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mug — a cup
  22. object — an aim
  23. mug — to rob
  24. ruler — for measuring

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