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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pit — a hole
  5. season — of the year
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — in a race
  8. season — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. net — in sport
  15. chest — of your body
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. chest — a box
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rush — hurry
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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