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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: cold · pitch · pit · current · lie · rush · mouse · chair

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pit — a hole
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. current — of water
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pitch — completely
  12. chair — a leader
  13. rush — hurry
  14. current — happening now
  15. pit — in a race
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. current — electric
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. cold — not warm
  24. pitch — a sports field

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