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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. mate — a partner
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. sharp — clever
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. chip — for betting
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. clip — a video
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bat — the animal
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mate — to breed
  22. fork — in a road
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. clip — to cut

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