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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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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: row · coach · branch · file · pitch · snap · race · ball

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. ball — a great time
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. row — to paddle
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. branch — a division
  10. file — a line of people
  11. race — a contest
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. snap — to click
  16. ball — a dance
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. race — humankind
  19. row — a line
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. race — the arms race
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. file — a document

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