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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. current — happening now
  8. wind — moving air
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. current — electric
  19. kid — child
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. current — of water
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bat — the animal

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