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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: sharp · rush · hand · leaves · mark · pitcher · pit · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mark — a grade
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pop — soda
  16. hand — help
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. pop — music
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. mark — a trace
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. rush — a thrill
  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