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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. present — there
  3. last — finally
  4. ball — a dance
  5. present — a gift
  6. last — final
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bound — tied together
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — of water
  16. wound — an injury
  17. present — the time now
  18. bound — obliged
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. current — electric
  22. bound — certain
  23. last — to go on
  24. ball — a great time

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