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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. saw — the tool
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. board — to get on
  8. chip — to eat
  9. board — a committee
  10. march — the month
  11. chip — for betting
  12. march — the month
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. saw — the tool
  16. march — music
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bound — obliged
  20. cold — not warm
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bound — certain
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bat — 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