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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: fall · shower · branch · court · pitch · chip · lie · date

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. date — the fruit
  3. fall — the season
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. lie — to recline
  9. pitch — completely
  10. chip — to eat
  11. fall — to drop
  12. court — for sport
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. court — of a king
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. court — of law
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. shower — rain
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. branch — a division

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