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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: ruler · pitch · fall · kick · branch · date · rush · net

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. net — in sport
  3. branch — a division
  4. net — after costs
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. net — for catching
  17. rush — hurry
  18. kick — in football
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. fall — the season

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