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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. land — a country
  3. board — a committee
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. board — to get on
  6. foot — a measure
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. kid — child
  11. swing — music
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — to play on
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bat — the animal
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. kid — to tease

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