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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: hide · branch · pitch · arm · pit · ball · cell · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. ball — a dance
  3. pitch — completely
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. pit — in a race
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pit — a hole
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. race — the arms race
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. race — a contest
  22. cell — in biology
  23. branch — a division
  24. cell — a phone

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