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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 · pitch · jam · chip · sharp · foot · bat · bank

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bank — for money
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. chip — for betting
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. chip — to eat
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bank — of a river
  15. branch — a division
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bank — for money
  23. bat — the animal
  24. jam — a tight spot

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