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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · club · sharp · season · rest · bat · shower · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. shower — rain
  3. club — a group
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. pit — in a race
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. season — of the year
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. season — in sport
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bat — the animal
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. sharp — clever

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