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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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Word bank
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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: rush · content · pitcher · track · fall · dip · bore · pit

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. content — the amount
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. track — a path
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bore — to drill
  15. track — to keep track
  16. dip — to sink
  17. track — a song
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pit — in a race
  22. content — happy
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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