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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. dip — to sink
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. game — a match
  9. plane — a tool
  10. pitch — completely
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. march — music
  13. branch — a division
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pound — a weight
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. march — the month
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. perch — the fish
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. game — wild animals
  24. march — the month

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