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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 116 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bore — to tire
  5. hand — help
  6. band — a music group
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — a trail
  10. march — music
  11. band — a ring
  12. land — ground
  13. court — of a king
  14. hand — in cards
  15. land — a country
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. land — to come down
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. court — of law
  22. court — for sport
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. band — a rubber band

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