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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 116 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: bay · shower · pit · suit · bat · kid · stock · pass

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. shower — to wash
  4. suit — clothes
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. pass — a permit
  8. stock — shares
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. stock — goods
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. kid — child
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — to fit
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. shower — rain

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