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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: key · dip · coach · clip · branch · pitch · board · mine

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. mine — for digging
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. clip — to cut
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. key — the most important part
  8. clip — for paper
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pitch — completely
  13. clip — a video
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a committee
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. key — in music
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. dip — to sink
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a tree

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