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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.

Make a worksheet

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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pit — in a race
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. hand — help
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pit — a hole

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