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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. saw — the tool
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a dance
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mine — for digging
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. chip — to eat
  14. ball — a great time
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. deal — to handle
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — a garden tool

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