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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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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: bowl · charge · bat · pit · arm · squash · rest · stand

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. rest — a break
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. charge — in control
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. charge — a price
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. squash — to crush
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. stand — to bear
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pit — in a race
  24. stand — on your feet

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