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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: tear · pitch · mouse · pit · chair · nail

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pitch — completely
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. tear — from crying
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. tear — to rip
  15. chair — a leader
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pit — a fruit stone

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