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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bear · mine · bowl · bat · spell · bay · chair · chip

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. spell — magic

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