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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 116 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.

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: file · pitch · wound · racket · kick · branch · scale · net

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — size or range
  3. wound — an injury
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. net — after costs
  9. file — a document
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. kick — in football
  13. net — for catching
  14. branch — a division
  15. net — in sport
  16. scale — in music
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pitch — completely
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. file — a tool
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. file — a line of people
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. kick — a thrill

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