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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: pit · season · fine · mug · date · staff · hand · pitch

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fine — high quality
  3. season — of the year
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mug — a cup
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. hand — help
  8. mug — to rob
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fine — all right
  13. pit — a hole
  14. mug — a face
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. hand — in cards
  17. season — in sport
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. staff — employees
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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