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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bat — the animal
  3. tube — a container
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. season — in sport
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. tube — the underground
  12. season — of the year
  13. present — a gift
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bear — the animal
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a music group
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. ground — a position
  23. present — there
  24. bat — in an idiom

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