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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: bank · mug · face · pitcher · season · net · chest · pit

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — to rob
  5. net — in sport
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bank — of a river
  8. chest — of your body
  9. face — to point toward
  10. chest — of your body
  11. season — of the year
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. chest — a box
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. face — to confront
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bank — for money
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bank — for money
  22. net — for catching
  23. pit — in a race
  24. net — after costs

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