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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: pit · lie · pitch · staff · season · mine · cell · ruler

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pit — in a race
  4. mine — for digging
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pit — a hole
  12. season — in sport
  13. cell — a phone
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. staff — employees
  18. season — of the year
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. staff — employees
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. staff — a stick
  24. mine — belonging to me

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