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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. ball — a great time
  3. present — there
  4. chip — for betting
  5. present — a gift
  6. march — the month
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. march — the month
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. present — the time now
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. chip — to eat
  17. saw — the tool
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. march — music
  23. ball — a dance
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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