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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: pitch · rock · lie · mine · branch · racket · scale · kick

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. branch — a division
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. kick — in football
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mine — for digging
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rock — music
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. pitch — completely
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. lie — to recline

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