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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rock — music
  4. fine — all right
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. land — to come down
  7. rock — a stone
  8. land — ground
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. land — a country
  11. face — to confront
  12. spring — a coil
  13. scale — size or range
  14. spring — the season
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. kick — in football
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. face — part of the head
  19. fine — high quality
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — in music
  22. face — to point toward
  23. spring — of water
  24. kick — with a leg

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