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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bear — the animal
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. squash — to crush
  7. shower — to wash
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. file — a tool
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. craft — a skill
  14. shower — rain
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bat — the animal
  22. chair — a leader
  23. craft — boats
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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