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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. branch — a division
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cue — for pool
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. cue — a signal
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bank — for money
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. season — in sport
  14. cue — a hint
  15. pitch — completely
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bank — of a river
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bank — for money
  23. season — of the year
  24. rush — hurry

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