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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. toast — bread
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. cap — a hat
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. saw — the tool
  15. last — finally
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. last — final
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bat — the animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. last — to go on

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