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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: dip · pit · cue · plane · chest · bear · bat · season

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. chest — of your body
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bear — the animal
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. pit — a hole
  13. chest — of your body
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. chest — a box
  17. bat — the animal
  18. plane — a tool
  19. dip — to sink
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. pit — in a race
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bear — the animal
  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