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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — certain
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rash — a series
  18. bound — obliged
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bat — the animal
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. rash — on the skin

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