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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: branch · scale · game · mark · kick · last · pitcher · fall

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. kick — in football
  5. game — a match
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. game — wild animals
  8. scale — size or range
  9. mark — a grade
  10. last — to go on
  11. scale — in music
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fall — the season
  14. mark — a trace
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. last — finally
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. branch — a division
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — a thrill

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