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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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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — in a race
  3. last — final
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. staff — employees
  6. stock — goods
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pit — a hole
  16. last — to go on
  17. pitch — completely
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stock — shares
  20. staff — employees
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. staff — a stick
  23. last — finally
  24. hand — part of the body

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