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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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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: pit · chest · leaves · bat · roll · arm · bowl · pass

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pit — in a race
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. chest — of your body
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. bat — the animal
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. roll — a list
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. pit — a hole
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. roll — a cake
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. chest — a box

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