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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. land — to come down
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. land — ground
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. pitch — completely
  15. land — a country
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. branch — a division
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. deal — to handle
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stock — goods
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. stock — shares
  24. snap — to click

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