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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: temple · drill · fine · land · pitch · branch · cue · kick

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cue — a hint
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. cue — a signal
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. cue — for pool
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — all right
  13. branch — a division
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. land — to come down
  19. pitch — completely
  20. drill — a practice
  21. land — ground
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. kick — in football

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