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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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 — of the year
  2. chip — to eat
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. lie — to recline
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bank — of a river
  10. net — after costs
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bank — for money
  15. pit — in a race
  16. season — in sport
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. net — in sport
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. net — for catching
  22. bank — for money
  23. season — to add flavour
  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