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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wind — moving air
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pitch — completely
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. branch — a division
  22. bank — of a river
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wind — to turn a key

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