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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 · row · present · pop · suit · arm · rush · saw

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pit — in a race
  4. suit — in cards
  5. pop — soda
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pop — music
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. suit — to fit
  11. row — a line
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. suit — clothes
  14. pop — to visit
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. present — a gift
  19. row — to paddle
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. present — there
  23. saw — the tool
  24. present — the time now

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