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

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. chip — to eat
  3. snap — to click
  4. net — after costs
  5. band — a music group
  6. net — for catching
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. scale — in music
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. plane — a tool
  13. net — in sport
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. band — a ring
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pit — in a race
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pit — a hole
  23. chip — for betting
  24. band — a rubber band

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