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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: stand · saw · mark · pit · cell · bat · fork · chip

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. mark — a trace
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bat — the animal
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. cell — in biology
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. cell — a phone
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. stand — to bear
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pit — in a race
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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