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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 · hand · net · stand · land · rush · nail · pitch

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pitch — completely
  4. rush — hurry
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. land — a country
  9. net — for catching
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. hand — help
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. land — ground
  18. pit — in a race
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. land — to come down
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. net — in sport
  23. stand — to bear
  24. net — after costs

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