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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: board · stand · pit · net · kid · bat · rush · mate

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bat — the animal
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. pit — a hole
  6. mate — a partner
  7. net — after costs
  8. board — to get on
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. net — in sport
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mate — a friend
  17. net — for catching
  18. board — a committee
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. stand — to bear
  22. mate — to breed
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — to tease

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