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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. mug — a face
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. chip — to eat
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chip — for betting
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. cell — a phone

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