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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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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: wake · season · hand · scale · rash · pit · pitch · rest

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. hand — in cards
  3. scale — size or range
  4. rash — a series
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. season — in sport
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. wake — a trail
  12. scale — in music
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. hand — help
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rest — a break
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — to add flavour

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