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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitch · last · pit · mouse · spell · race · track · rock

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. last — to go on
  3. spell — a short time
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. race — humankind
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pitch — completely
  9. last — final
  10. rock — a stone
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pit — a hole
  17. track — a path
  18. spell — magic
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. last — finally
  22. race — a contest
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. pit — in a race

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