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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: pitch · pit · staff · branch · bat · tube · net · rash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rash — hasty
  5. net — in sport
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. pit — in a race
  11. net — for catching
  12. staff — a stick
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bat — the animal
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. net — after costs
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. staff — employees
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — the underground
  22. staff — employees
  23. branch — a division
  24. pitch — completely

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