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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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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: calf · tube · pit · season · bat · fan · fine · mine

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. pit — a hole
  4. tube — a container
  5. pit — in a race
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mine — for digging
  8. season — in sport
  9. bat — the animal
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fine — all right
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. tube — the underground
  22. fine — high quality
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. calf — a young animal

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