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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bay · net · key · mark · pitcher · band · pit

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pit — a hole
  5. branch — a division
  6. net — in sport
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. key — for a lock
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. band — a ring
  13. net — after costs
  14. key — in music
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. net — for catching
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. band — a music group
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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