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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 124 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. current — happening now
  3. branch — a division
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. mug — a face
  9. current — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. row — a line
  12. bark — to shout
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. row — to paddle
  15. capital — a city
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. mug — a cup
  18. capital — money
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mug — to rob
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. racket — for tennis

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