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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: racket · vault · bat · pit · season · bulb · spell · degree

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. spell — magic
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. spell — letters
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bulb — for light
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. degree — from a university
  10. season — of the year
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. degree — temperature
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bulb — for light
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. season — in sport
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. pit — a hole
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bat — the 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