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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: cabinet · squash · bat · deal · drill · season · pit · tube

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bat — the animal
  3. tube — a container
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. drill — army training
  8. season — in sport
  9. drill — a practice
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. squash — to crush
  13. tube — the underground
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. drill — the tool
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pit — a hole
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. season — of the year
  23. pit — in a race
  24. deal — to handle

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