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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · content · mug · fall · racket · pitcher · pit · toast

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. pit — in a race
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. toast — bread
  6. mug — a face
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. content — happy
  11. race — humankind
  12. fall — the season
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. content — the amount
  21. mug — a cup
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pit — a hole
  24. content — videos and posts

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