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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: pitcher · rest · pit · racket · kid · club · last · hide

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. club — for golf
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pit — in a race
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. club — a group
  7. pit — a hole
  8. last — final
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. club — for dancing
  14. last — to go on
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. last — finally
  19. rest — a break
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. racket — a loud noise

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