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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: lean · pit · pitch · jam · bat · last · face · stock

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pitch — completely
  6. lean — thin
  7. stock — shares
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. pit — a hole
  10. face — to point toward
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. face — to confront
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. last — to go on
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. last — finally
  20. last — final
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pit — in a race

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