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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: pit · bat · cabinet · calf · track · branch · hand · ground

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. pit — in a race
  3. bat — the animal
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. track — a song
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. track — a path
  13. hand — in cards
  14. ground — crushed
  15. track — to keep track
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pit — a hole
  24. ground — a position

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