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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. object — to protest
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mug — to rob
  6. object — a thing
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mug — a cup
  10. object — an aim
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mug — a face
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. deal — to handle
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bat — for baseball

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