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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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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: ball · pit · stand · arm · spring · bat · leaves · toast

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bat — the animal
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. spring — the season
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pit — in a race
  17. stand — to bear
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a great time
  20. toast — bread
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pit — a hole
  24. leaves — to go away

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