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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. present — a gift
  4. bass — low music
  5. mine — for digging
  6. present — there
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bat — the animal
  13. present — the time now
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. can — to be able to
  16. object — an aim
  17. can — a tin
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. can — a tin
  20. object — to protest
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pitch — completely
  24. object — a thing

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