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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: race · pitch · bank · game · racket · cap · trunk · ball

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cap — a lid
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. game — a match
  7. pitch — completely
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. ball — a dance
  10. race — a contest
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bank — for money
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cap — a hat
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. race — humankind
  19. bank — of a river
  20. ball — a great time
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. cap — of ice
  23. game — wild animals
  24. ball — a round shape

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