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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. sharp — clever
  4. mine — for digging
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. plane — a tool
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. sharp — with an edge

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