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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mark — a grade
  11. ground — crushed
  12. chest — a box
  13. mate — to breed
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. mark — a trace
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. ground — a position
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mate — a partner
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. ground — the earth
  24. straw — dry grass

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