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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. court — for sport
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. court — of law
  8. suit — to fit
  9. wake — a trail
  10. can — to be able to
  11. march — music
  12. bat — the animal
  13. lean — thin
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. can — a tin
  16. suit — in cards
  17. can — a tin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. pit — a hole
  20. court — of a king
  21. suit — clothes
  22. march — the month
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. march — the month

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