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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.

Make a worksheet

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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. 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. mouse — the animal
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. spell — letters
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. 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