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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 116 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. march — the month
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. cell — in biology
  5. march — music
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. present — there
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. march — the month
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. sharp — clever
  21. present — the time now
  22. bat — the animal
  23. kid — to tease
  24. present — a gift

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