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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: date · branch · pound · net · court · present · ball · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. net — for catching
  3. date — the fruit
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. court — of a king
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. court — of law
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. net — in sport
  19. court — for sport
  20. present — the time now
  21. ball — a dance
  22. net — after costs
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pound — a weight

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