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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. mark — a grade
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bore — to drill
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bore — to tire
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bat — the animal
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bat — in an idiom

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