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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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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: deal · net · chest · rule · stick · pitch · leaves · pit

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. rule — government
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pit — a hole
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. net — for catching
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. net — after costs
  10. chest — a box
  11. net — in sport
  12. chest — of your body
  13. deal — to handle
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. rule — a law
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. leaves — lets stay

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