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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: pitch · court · pit · rush · charge · track · last · bank

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bank — for money
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. court — for sport
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. court — of law
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. last — to go on
  10. track — a song
  11. last — finally
  12. bank — of a river
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. pit — in a race
  15. charge — a price
  16. bank — for money
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pit — a hole
  20. last — final
  21. court — of a king
  22. charge — electricity
  23. rush — hurry
  24. charge — in control

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