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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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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: charge · ball · pitcher · branch · board · mine · clip · pitch

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. clip — for paper
  3. charge — in control
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. board — to get on
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. board — a committee
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. clip — a video
  19. pitch — completely
  20. branch — a division
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mine — for digging
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — a price

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