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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 120 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: file · net · tear · key · branch · kid · pitch · sharp

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. file — a line of people
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. branch — a division
  8. pitch — completely
  9. net — after costs
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. net — in sport
  12. key — for a lock
  13. sharp — clever
  14. net — for catching
  15. kid — child
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. tear — from crying
  20. key — in music
  21. kid — to tease
  22. key — the most important part
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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