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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: staff · bat · saw · game · mug · pit · branch · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. mug — a cup
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pit — in a race
  11. staff — employees
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. staff — a stick
  14. game — a match
  15. mug — a face
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. branch — a division
  18. staff — employees
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bat — the animal
  22. mug — to rob
  23. saw — the tool
  24. racket — a loud noise

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