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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. club — for golf
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pit — in a race
  9. row — a line
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pit — a hole
  14. club — a group
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rock — music
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. rock — a stone
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. chair — to sit on

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