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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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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: pitch · pit · row · bat · chair · cell · fall · object

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pit — in a race
  3. cell — in biology
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pit — a hole
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. fall — to drop
  13. row — a line
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. fall — the season
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. object — a thing
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. object — an aim
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cell — a phone
  22. object — to protest
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pitch — completely

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