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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tube · snap · staff · pit · hand · rock · pitch · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. tube — the underground
  3. hand — in cards
  4. pit — a hole
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. hand — help
  8. pit — in a race
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. staff — employees
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rock — music
  18. tube — a container
  19. snap — to click
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pitch — completely
  22. date — the fruit
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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