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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 120 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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. march — the month
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rash — hasty
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. march — the month
  13. pitch — completely
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. chest — of your body
  18. march — music
  19. kid — to tease
  20. branch — a division
  21. kid — child
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pass — a permit
  24. chest — a box

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