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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. pop — soda
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. fine — all right
  10. pop — to visit
  11. last — final
  12. ground — a position
  13. last — finally
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bear — the animal
  16. season — in sport
  17. pop — music
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. last — to go on
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. chip — for betting
  22. ground — crushed
  23. fine — high quality
  24. bear — the animal

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