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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 · cell · pit · racket · toast · bore · ground · dip

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pitch — completely
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. dip — to sink
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pit — in a race
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. cell — a phone
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bore — to tire
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bore — to drill
  16. pit — a hole
  17. ground — the earth
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. toast — bread
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. racket — for tennis

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