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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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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: fork · coach · pit · bay · rash · file · pitch · chair

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pit — a hole
  8. file — a line of people
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. file — a tool
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. rash — a series
  22. pit — in a race
  23. file — a document
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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