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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. row — a line
  9. wound — an injury
  10. branch — a division
  11. rule — a law
  12. drill — the tool
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wound — an injury
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bore — to tire
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. drill — army training
  22. rule — government
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to drill

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