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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. land — a country
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. degree — from a university
  6. net — in sport
  7. rash — a series
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a friend
  10. net — for catching
  11. shower — to wash
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. degree — an amount
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. shower — rain
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. net — after costs
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. mate — a partner
  24. degree — temperature

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