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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 116 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: pitch · mark · bore · pit · club · clip · lie · branch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. clip — to cut
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bore — to drill
  5. clip — for paper
  6. branch — a division
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — a group
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. clip — a video
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a trace
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a hole
  21. mark — a grade
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pitch — completely

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