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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · bat · kick · pit · rash · bound · mine · cap

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. mine — for digging
  3. kick — in football
  4. pit — in a race
  5. cap — a hat
  6. fine — all right
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bound — obliged
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bound — certain
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rash — a series
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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