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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 120 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: last · game · mate · drill · bowl · pitch · branch · stock

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. drill — the tool
  3. last — final
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. game — a match
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. stock — goods
  10. drill — a practice
  11. stock — shares
  12. game — wild animals
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. pitch — completely
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — to breed
  18. last — finally
  19. drill — army training
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. mate — a partner
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. last — to go on

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