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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 120 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. cell — in biology
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bat — the animal
  5. present — there
  6. present — the time now
  7. season — of the year
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. present — a gift
  16. season — in sport
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bass — low music
  19. shower — rain
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bass — the fish
  24. mark — a trace

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