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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. board — to get on
  4. bark — to shout
  5. net — after costs
  6. current — of water
  7. branch — a division
  8. bat — the animal
  9. current — electric
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. staff — employees
  14. current — happening now
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. board — a committee
  18. staff — a stick
  19. pitch — completely
  20. staff — employees
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. branch — of a bank

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