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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: foot · file · pitcher · pitch · branch · track · safe · object

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. file — a line of people
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. object — an aim
  9. file — a document
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — to protest
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. file — a tool
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. track — a path
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. track — a song
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. branch — a division
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. foot — part of the body

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