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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: pitch · lie · rash · branch · ruler · game · race · band

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  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. lie — an untruth
  2. band — a music group
  3. race — the arms race
  4. rash — hasty
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. band — a ring
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rash — a series
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. lie — to recline
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — a contest
  19. branch — a division
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. game — a match
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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