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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. shower — to wash
  3. face — to confront
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. object — a thing
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. game — a match
  8. bore — to tire
  9. face — part of the head
  10. ground — a position
  11. craft — boats
  12. ground — the earth
  13. shower — rain
  14. game — wild animals
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. craft — a skill
  17. object — an aim
  18. bore — to drill
  19. face — to point toward
  20. ground — crushed
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. object — to protest
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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