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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. bore — to tire
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. chest — of your body
  11. club — for golf
  12. current — electric
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — a group
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. current — happening now
  17. bore — to drill
  18. squash — the sport
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. squash — to crush
  21. roll — a list
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. current — of water
  24. bowl — a dish

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