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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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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: spell · saw · branch · pit · board · pop · pitch · bat

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pop — soda
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bat — the animal
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. branch — a division
  10. pit — a hole
  11. spell — letters
  12. board — a committee
  13. spell — magic
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pit — in a race
  18. board — to get on
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pop — music
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pitch — completely
  24. branch — of a tree

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