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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. file — a document
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. march — music
  13. squash — to crush
  14. march — the month
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pass — a permit
  18. march — the month
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pitch — completely
  21. row — to paddle
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. row — a line

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