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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 116 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. current — of water
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. current — happening now
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. fall — to drop
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. branch — a division
  16. current — electric
  17. pitch — completely
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mine — an explosive

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