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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: season · bat · suit · rush · land · pit · bark · bound

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pit — a hole
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. suit — in cards
  23. land — a country
  24. bound — certain

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