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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bark — to shout
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. saw — the tool
  6. charge — a price
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. charge — in control
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bound — certain
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. saw — the tool
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. charge — electricity
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. hide — to keep secret

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