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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 · race · pit · land · ruler · kid · bat · pitch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. race — the arms race
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. branch — a division
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bat — the animal
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. kid — child
  20. land — a country
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. kid — to tease

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