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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: ground · game · kick · wave · pitch · pit · branch · track

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. branch — a division
  8. pitch — completely
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. track — a path
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. kick — in football
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — in a race
  20. game — wild animals
  21. track — a song
  22. ground — a position
  23. game — a match
  24. ground — the earth

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