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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: wind · ruler · pop · pit · bat · season · fork · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pop — soda
  5. pit — in a race
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pop — music
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. season — in sport
  12. pit — a hole
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. fork — in a road
  17. season — of the year
  18. cell — a phone
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pop — to visit

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