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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. chest — a box
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pitch — completely
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. chest — of your body
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. chest — of your body
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. chip — to eat

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