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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 116 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. chip — to eat
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rush — hurry
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. hand — help
  14. degree — an amount
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. degree — temperature
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. chip — for betting
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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