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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. staff — a stick
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. file — a tool
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. staff — employees
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wind — moving air
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — completely
  12. stand — to bear
  13. file — a line of people
  14. ground — the earth
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. wind — moving air
  17. file — a document
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. perch — the fish
  20. ground — a position
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. staff — employees
  23. branch — a division
  24. pitch — a sports field

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