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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. deal — to handle
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cold — an illness
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. mate — a friend
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. net — after costs
  16. pitch — completely
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. net — for catching
  19. mate — a partner
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. net — in sport
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wave — of the sea

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