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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. game — wild animals
  4. season — of the year
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bass — the fish
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bat — the animal
  17. season — in sport
  18. pit — in a race
  19. lean — thin
  20. bass — low music
  21. game — a match
  22. pit — a hole
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wax — for sculpting

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