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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fine — all right
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bat — the animal
  7. clip — a video
  8. toast — bread
  9. club — for dancing
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — a hole
  12. branch — a division
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. pit — in a race
  15. stand — to bear
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for golf
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — to cut
  24. stand — for spectators

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