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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: row · date · fall · pit · chair · sharp · pitch · cue

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cue — for pool
  3. fall — to drop
  4. date — the fruit
  5. pit — in a race
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fall — the season
  12. sharp — clever
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cue — a signal
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pit — a hole
  23. chair — a leader
  24. cue — a hint

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