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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. rash — a series
  3. swing — to play on
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. swing — music
  6. tube — the underground
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mark — a trace
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. tube — a container
  12. branch — a division
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitch — completely
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. rash — hasty
  24. swing — in golf

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