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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 120 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: pitch · rest · branch · pass · bowl · race · stock · last

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pass — a permit
  4. race — the arms race
  5. pitch — completely
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. race — humankind
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. stock — shares
  10. last — final
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. branch — a division
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. last — to go on
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. rest — a break
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. race — a contest
  22. last — finally
  23. stock — goods
  24. bowl — a dish

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