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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 120 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: bank · cabinet · pit · row · bowl · kid · season · bat

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. kid — to tease
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. pit — in a race
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. season — of the year
  7. bank — for money
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bat — the animal
  10. row — a line
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bank — of a river
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bank — for money
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. season — in sport
  20. row — to paddle
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. season — to add flavour
  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