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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. chest — a box
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. field — a subject
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mouse — the animal

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