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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. squash — to crush
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. game — wild animals
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. game — a match
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. squash — the sport
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bat — in an idiom

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