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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bore — to drill
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bass — the fish
  8. chest — a box
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — government
  13. kid — to tease
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. kid — child
  16. bore — to tire
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bass — low music
  21. rule — a law
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. nail — on a finger

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