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

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. march — music
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bat — the animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. land — a country

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