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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 116 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: key · trunk · bat · file · game · can · season · pit

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — a match
  3. can — a tin
  4. key — in music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pit — in a race
  9. file — a tool
  10. season — in sport
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. game — wild animals
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. season — of the year
  17. key — for a lock
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. file — a document
  23. pit — a hole
  24. file — a line of people

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