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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. land — to come down
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. drill — a practice
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. snap — to click
  7. deal — to handle
  8. squash — the sport
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. land — ground
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. pit — a hole
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. drill — army training
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. drill — the tool
  19. land — a country
  20. squash — to crush
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. foot — a measure
  24. pit — in a race

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