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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: present · rash · cabinet · band · bat · kid · pit · race

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pit — in a race
  5. kid — to tease
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. race — the arms race
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. rash — a series
  10. pit — a hole
  11. race — humankind
  12. present — the time now
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. rash — hasty
  16. present — there
  17. band — a ring
  18. kid — child
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. present — a gift
  21. bat — the animal
  22. race — a contest
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. band — a music group

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