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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bat — the animal
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wind — moving air
  16. season — of the year
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wake — a trail
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. wind — to turn a key

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