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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mine — for digging
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. present — a gift
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitch — completely
  13. branch — a division
  14. present — there
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. chair — a leader
  21. present — the time now
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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