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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. branch — a division
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. pitch — completely
  7. key — for a lock
  8. prune — to trim
  9. face — to point toward
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. clip — for paper
  13. race — the arms race
  14. key — in music
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. race — humankind
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. race — a contest
  21. key — the most important part
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. clip — a video
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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