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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: court · branch · stock · pitcher · mouse · roll · pitch · track

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. branch — a division
  6. stock — goods
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. track — a path
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. court — for sport
  12. roll — a cake
  13. court — of law
  14. roll — a list
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. stock — shares
  20. court — of a king
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. track — a song
  24. track — to keep track

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