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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: branch · row · court · pitch · bound · lash · last · swing

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. court — for sport
  3. row — to paddle
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bound — tied together
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. branch — a division
  8. bound — obliged
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. court — of a king
  11. last — to go on
  12. bound — certain
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. last — final
  17. row — a line
  18. court — of law
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. swing — to play on
  22. pitch — completely
  23. swing — in golf
  24. last — finally

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