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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 120 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: rule · cap · arm · pit · wound · pitch · branch · perch

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. pit — a hole
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cap — of ice
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. cap — a lid
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pitch — completely
  16. branch — a division
  17. perch — the fish
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cap — a hat
  21. rule — government
  22. wound — an injury
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wound — an injury

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