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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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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: pass · bat · fine · cabinet · pit · land · straw · cell

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. land — to come down
  3. bat — the animal
  4. fine — all right
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. cell — in biology
  10. fine — high quality
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pass — a permit
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. land — a country
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. land — ground
  19. pit — in a race
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. fine — a penalty

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