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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pitch — completely
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. clip — for paper
  7. date — the fruit
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. clip — to cut
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. roll — a list
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. clip — a video
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. roll — a cake
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. roll — on a roll

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