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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. band — a music group
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bat — the animal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. season — in sport
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. band — a ring
  17. cell — in biology
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. season — of the year
  20. cell — a phone
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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