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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. net — in sport
  6. bound — certain
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. kick — in football
  9. band — a ring
  10. bound — obliged
  11. band — a music group
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bound — tied together
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pit — in a race
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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