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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bank — for money
  5. mark — a trace
  6. lean — thin
  7. shower — rain
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. squash — to crush
  14. season — in sport
  15. shower — to wash
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bank — of a river
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bank — for money
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. mark — a grade
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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