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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: race · file · pitch · cabinet · saw · branch · mug · ground

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. race — humankind
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. mug — to rob
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mug — a cup
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ground — the earth
  10. race — the arms race
  11. saw — the tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pitch — completely
  15. ground — crushed
  16. file — a document
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. mug — a face
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. file — a tool
  23. ground — a position
  24. race — a contest

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