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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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468
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: branch · key · pitcher · calf · bat · leaves · last · game

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. key — in music
  11. bat — the animal
  12. branch — a division
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. game — a match
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. key — the most important part
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  24. leaves — of a tree

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