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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: branch · content · cap · last · saw · bore · bowl · pitch

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. last — final
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. pitch — completely
  6. cap — a hat
  7. saw — the tool
  8. last — to go on
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bore — to drill
  16. saw — the tool
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. content — the amount
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. content — happy

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