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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: race · mug · rush · pitch · pit · fine · object · last

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — a hole
  3. race — the arms race
  4. last — finally
  5. object — an aim
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. race — humankind
  8. object — to protest
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. fine — all right
  12. object — a thing
  13. last — to go on
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — to rob
  18. last — final
  19. fine — high quality
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pit — in a race
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. race — a contest

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