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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. mug — a cup
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mate — to breed
  9. chip — for betting
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mate — a friend
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spring — the season
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mug — to rob
  19. spring — of water
  20. pass — a permit
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. mug — a face
  24. mate — a partner

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