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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. roll — a cake
  5. pitch — completely
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cell — a phone
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. roll — a list
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. cell — in biology
  24. mouse — for a computer

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