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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · mine · branch · pitch · land · calf · date · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pitch — completely
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. land — ground
  8. land — a country
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. branch — a division
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mine — for digging
  14. date — the fruit
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. land — to come down
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. game — a match
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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