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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. clip — to cut
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mine — for digging
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. toast — bread
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. fine — all right

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