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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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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: sharp · jam · branch · pitcher · net · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. net — after costs
  6. branch — a division
  7. net — for catching
  8. sharp — clever
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. net — in sport
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pit — in a race
  18. jam — a tight spot

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