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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. object — an aim
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cue — a hint
  5. pitch — completely
  6. branch — a division
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. cue — a signal
  10. object — a thing
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wound — an injury
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. object — to protest
  24. mouse — the animal

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