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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: racket · pit · rest · rule · lean · date · pitch · mark

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. lean — thin
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pit — in a race
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mark — a trace
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. rule — a law
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rule — government
  17. rest — a break
  18. pitch — completely
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mark — a grade
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rule — to rule out

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