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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. land — a country
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. kick — in football
  11. rule — government
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. dip — to sink
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bear — the animal
  16. game — a match
  17. land — ground
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rule — a law
  24. land — to come down

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