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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: chest · rock · pit · mug · sharp · pitcher · bass · branch

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bass — low music
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pit — a hole
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mug — a face
  8. rock — music
  9. pit — in a race
  10. chest — a box
  11. rock — a stone
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mug — a cup
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bass — the fish
  23. branch — a division
  24. rock — to move gently

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