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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. drill — army training
  3. fine — all right
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. branch — a division
  6. perch — the fish
  7. staff — employees
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. drill — a practice
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fine — high quality
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pitch — completely
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cold — not warm
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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