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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bat — the animal
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bass — low music
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bass — the fish
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bark — to shout
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. pit — a hole
  21. season — in sport
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bat — for baseball

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