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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bass — low music
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. present — a gift
  7. bass — the fish
  8. present — there
  9. spell — magic
  10. fine — all right
  11. present — the time now
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. spell — letters
  15. capital — money
  16. cell — a phone
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. capital — a city
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. cell — in a prison

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