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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. band — a music group
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bat — the animal
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. chip — to eat
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. band — a ring

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