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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 · chip · temple · fine · spell · foot · pitch · shower

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pit — a hole
  3. shower — to wash
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — all right
  7. pit — in a race
  8. chip — to eat
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fine — high quality
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. spell — magic
  14. foot — a measure
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. shower — rain
  18. spell — letters
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. chip — for betting
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. chip — in a computer

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