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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. pop — music
  5. mug — a face
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. hand — in cards
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mug — a cup
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bat — the animal
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pop — soda
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. chair — a leader

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