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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: pitch · last · rest · temple · dip · mate · net · pit

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. last — final
  3. rest — a break
  4. last — finally
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. net — for catching
  13. rest — what's left
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. net — after costs
  16. mate — a partner
  17. last — to go on
  18. net — in sport
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pit — in a race
  22. mate — a friend
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. dip — to sink

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