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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: pitcher · season · bank · land · game · toast · bat · lie

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. season — in sport
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bank — of a river
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. land — a country
  9. toast — bread
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. season — of the year
  14. bank — for money
  15. land — to come down
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bank — for money
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bat — the animal
  22. game — a match
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. land — ground

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