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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: fall · rock · rest · can · pit · pitcher · mine · ground

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. can — to be able to
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rest — what's left
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pit — in a race
  14. can — a tin
  15. rock — music
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. can — a tin
  20. fall — the season
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — a position
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. rest — a break

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