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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
468
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 · rock · lash · row · lean · rush · date · pitch

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  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 hole
  2. row — a line
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rush — hurry
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. date — the fruit
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lean — to bend
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. pit — in a race
  17. rock — a stone
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. rock — music
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. lean — thin
  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