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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: bowl · mate · safe · jam · club · rash · branch · pitch

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. branch — a division
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. pitch — completely
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. rash — a series
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rash — hasty
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. mate — to breed
  20. club — for golf
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. club — a group
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mate — a friend

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