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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. roll — a cake
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. rule — a law
  6. roll — a list
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — government
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — hurry
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. chest — of your body
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. chest — a box
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pitch — completely
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. branch — a division

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