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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. face — to confront
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. clip — to cut
  6. tube — the underground
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. clip — a video
  9. tube — a container
  10. hand — help
  11. snap — to click
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. clip — for paper
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. face — to point toward
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. shower — rain
  23. face — part of the head
  24. shower — to wash

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