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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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468
Word bank
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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. land — ground
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. tube — the underground
  11. land — a country
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. kid — child
  15. snap — to click
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fine — high quality
  18. tube — a container
  19. fine — all right
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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