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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. chip — for betting
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. club — a group
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. lie — to recline
  12. spring — of water
  13. stem — to come from
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. key — for a lock
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. kick — in football
  19. club — for golf
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. club — for dancing
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. spring — the season
  24. lie — an untruth

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