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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 116 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: calf · hand · branch · drill · pit · pitch · object · stock

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. stock — goods
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. drill — army training
  7. branch — a division
  8. object — a thing
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. stock — shares
  13. hand — help
  14. drill — the tool
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pit — in a race
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — to protest
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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