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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. season — in sport
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. season — of the year
  5. pit — a hole
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. current — happening now
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. current — electric
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. pit — in a race
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. current — of water
  23. wake — a trail
  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