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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitch · branch · bound · snap · face · game · mug · current

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. snap — to click
  2. game — a match
  3. current — electric
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. current — of water
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mug — a face
  8. face — to confront
  9. mug — a cup
  10. pitch — completely
  11. branch — a division
  12. face — to point toward
  13. mug — to rob
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. face — part of the head
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bound — tied together
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. current — happening now
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bound — certain
  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