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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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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: pit · straw · pitcher · chip · branch · sharp · season · wound

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chip — to eat
  4. wound — an injury
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pit — a hole
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. sharp — clever
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. season — in sport
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. season — of the year
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chip — for betting

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