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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  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. branch — a division
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. last — final
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. last — to go on
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. last — finally
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. pound — to hit hard
  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