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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bat · bound · club · pit · leaves · net · kick · shower

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bound — certain
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. club — for golf
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. club — a group
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pit — in a race
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bound — obliged
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. club — for dancing
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. net — in sport
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. shower — rain
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. kick — in football
  24. bound — tied together

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