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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: pass · chair · row · racket · branch · spell · bat · pitcher

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. chair — a leader
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. spell — magic
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — letters
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. branch — a division
  22. row — a line
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bat — the animal

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