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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: racket · shower · branch · mate · pitch · pit · arm · date

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  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. date — the fruit
  2. shower — to wash
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pit — in a race
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. branch — a division
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pit — a hole
  22. shower — rain
  23. mate — a partner
  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