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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bear — the animal
  3. plane — a tool
  4. pop — to visit
  5. lie — to recline
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. chip — to eat
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bat — the animal
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. game — a match
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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