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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bat — the animal
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. last — to go on
  5. cap — a lid
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cap — of ice
  9. last — finally
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cap — a hat
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. last — final
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. arm — a part of something

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