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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 120 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. bore — to drill
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mug — a face
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bat — the animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mug — to rob
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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