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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. chip — for betting
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pitch — completely
  12. chip — to eat
  13. ball — a dance
  14. object — to protest
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — a thing
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. chip — in a computer

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