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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 120 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: pit · rest · pitch · racket · chair · file

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. 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. racket — for tennis
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rest — what's left
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. file — a line of people
  9. pit — in a race
  10. rest — what's left
  11. file — a tool
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pit — a hole
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rest — a break
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. file — a document
  18. 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