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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. last — finally
  3. bear — the animal
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. last — final
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. board — a committee
  9. swing — in golf
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chip — to eat
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. swing — music
  20. sharp — clever
  21. last — to go on
  22. board — to get on
  23. bat — the animal
  24. chip — for betting

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