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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 124 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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. toast — bread
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. last — to go on
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. file — a document
  8. branch — a division
  9. file — a tool
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. shower — rain
  12. foot — a measure
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. rush — hurry
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. last — final
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. shower — to wash
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. last — finally
  23. file — a line of people
  24. branch — of a tree

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