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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. hand — help
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. hand — in cards
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. game — wild animals
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tube — the underground
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. roll — a list
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. tube — a container
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. toast — bread

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