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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 120 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: chest · racket · wake · pit · pitch · calf · court · rush

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pit — in a race
  3. chest — of your body
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. chest — a box
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pitch — completely
  13. chest — of your body
  14. court — of law
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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