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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — in a race
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. saw — the tool
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wind — moving air
  14. season — in sport
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lie — to recline
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. kid — child

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