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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mate — a partner
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. last — finally
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mate — a friend
  12. last — final
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. spring — the season
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pitch — completely
  17. chip — to eat
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. spring — of water
  20. foot — a measure
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. mate — to breed
  24. last — to go on

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