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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · pit · branch · pitcher · chair · scale · straw · leaves

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. scale — size or range
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. branch — a division
  9. court — of a king
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. court — of law
  15. chair — a leader
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. scale — in music
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. court — for sport
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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