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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. spell — magic
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rock — music
  7. spell — a short time
  8. ground — the earth
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cold — not warm
  11. club — for golf
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. ground — crushed
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. ground — a position
  17. stand — to bear
  18. rock — a stone
  19. club — a group
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. club — for dancing
  22. cold — an illness
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. spell — letters

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