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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. last — finally
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pit — a hole
  5. last — to go on
  6. club — for dancing
  7. last — final
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. club — for golf
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. pit — in a race
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. club — a group
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. mine — an explosive

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