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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. tube — a container
  3. sharp — clever
  4. land — a country
  5. tube — the underground
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. land — ground
  11. root — the cause
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. scale — size or range
  16. land — to come down
  17. root — of a plant
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. root — of a word
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bat — the animal
  24. scale — in music

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