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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: mate · pitch · wake · present · bank · pit · chair · file

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. file — a document
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bank — for money
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bank — of a river
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. mate — a friend
  15. file — a tool
  16. pitch — completely
  17. present — there
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. present — a gift
  20. bank — for money
  21. pit — in a race
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pit — a hole
  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