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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: pitch · net · game · race · rash · pit · nail · kick

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — in a race
  3. kick — in football
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. race — a contest
  7. rash — a series
  8. net — in sport
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. net — after costs
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rash — hasty
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. race — the arms race
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. net — for catching
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. race — humankind
  24. pitch — completely

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