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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bear — the animal
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. march — the month
  5. spell — a short time
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. net — in sport
  9. spell — magic
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. chip — for betting
  14. spell — letters
  15. bat — the animal
  16. march — music
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. march — the month
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. saw — the tool
  24. chip — to eat

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