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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: club · ground · pit · stick · branch · pop · pitch · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. club — for golf
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pop — music
  5. club — a group
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pop — soda
  12. ground — a position
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pop — to visit
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pit — a hole
  18. branch — a division
  19. club — for dancing
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — completely
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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