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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: branch · bowl · vault · perch · ball · pitch · snap · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. snap — to click
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pop — music
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pop — soda
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. pitch — completely
  12. branch — a division
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. perch — the fish
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. ball — a dance
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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