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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: bat · racket · bound · ground · pitcher · stand · lean · pit

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bound — tied together
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. lean — thin
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bound — obliged
  10. lean — to bend
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. stand — to bear
  13. ground — a position
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bound — certain
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pit — a hole
  24. stand — on your feet

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