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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. snap — to click
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. board — to get on
  6. spring — the season
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. branch — a division
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. kick — in football
  12. kid — to tease
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. kid — child
  15. spring — of water
  16. pitch — completely
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. board — a committee
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. spring — a coil
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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