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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.

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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. kick — in football
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bat — the animal
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pit — in a race
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. chair — a leader
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. lean — thin
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bowl — a football final

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