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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: safe · bat · last · pit · spring · racket · suit · cell

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. spring — the season
  3. suit — in cards
  4. cell — in biology
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. spring — a coil
  7. last — final
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pit — a hole
  12. suit — to fit
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bat — the animal
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. spring — of water
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. pit — in a race
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. last — to go on

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