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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. file — a line of people
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. court — of a king
  9. spell — magic
  10. court — of law
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. file — a document
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bore — to drill
  16. kid — to tease
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. kid — child
  19. file — a tool
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. spell — letters
  23. bore — to tire
  24. court — for sport

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