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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bat — the animal
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a leader
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rock — a stone
  10. chip — for betting
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. track — a path
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. track — a song
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. rock — music

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