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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.

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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: bark · bat · scale · pit · foot · rock · suit · season

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — a hole
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. suit — in cards
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. suit — to fit
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. season — of the year
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. season — in sport
  12. rock — music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. foot — a measure
  18. rock — a stone
  19. suit — clothes
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pit — in a race
  22. scale — in music
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. scale — size or range

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