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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · rest · kid · pit · bat · bank

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. rest — a break
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. pit — in a race
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. kid — child

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