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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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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: leaves · pit · stick · season · fall · bowl · net · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. fall — the season
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. pit — in a race
  15. snap — to click
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. fall — to drop
  23. net — for catching
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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