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

Word bank: racket · snap · wind · present · pit · bat

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — a hole
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. present — the time now
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. wind — moving air
  14. present — there
  15. present — a gift
  16. wind — moving air
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. snap — to click

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