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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 116 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: rush · craft · mate · deal · staff · pit · pitch · last

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. craft — a skill
  5. last — to go on
  6. mate — a partner
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pit — a hole
  11. last — final
  12. staff — employees
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. mate — a friend
  16. craft — boats
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mate — to breed
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. rush — hurry
  21. staff — employees
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. last — finally

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