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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: bowl · rock · date · stem · race · bat · mate · pit

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. rock — music
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. race — the arms race
  24. rock — to move gently

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