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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. fine — high quality
  4. firm — steady
  5. chip — to eat
  6. plane — a tool
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bat — the animal
  11. firm — a company
  12. fine — all right
  13. present — there
  14. present — the time now
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chest — of your body
  22. firm — decided
  23. chest — a box
  24. pitcher — a jug

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