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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. charge — a price
  4. branch — a division
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pitch — completely
  10. clip — a video
  11. firm — decided
  12. charge — in control
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pass — a permit
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. charge — electricity
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. firm — steady

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