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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: bowl · pitch · rash · chip · rest · file · branch · snap

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pitch — completely
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. file — a tool
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. chip — to eat
  14. rash — a series
  15. chip — for betting
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. branch — a division
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. rash — hasty
  22. file — a document
  23. snap — to click
  24. rest — a break

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