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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cap — of ice
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. can — to be able to
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. saw — the tool
  11. last — final
  12. pop — music
  13. can — a tin
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pop — soda
  16. can — a tin
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. pitch — completely
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. last — finally
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. branch — a division
  24. last — to go on

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