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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 120 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bear — the animal
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. ball — a dance
  8. rule — a law
  9. cold — an illness
  10. present — a gift
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. present — the time now
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bear — the animal
  19. present — there
  20. cold — not warm
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. ball — a round shape

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