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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: kick · branch · deal · march · court · pitcher · toast · pound

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pound — a weight
  4. march — the month
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — a division
  11. deal — to handle
  12. court — for sport
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. toast — bread
  15. court — of law
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. court — of a king
  19. march — the month
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. march — music
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. kick — with a leg

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