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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. suit — to fit
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. hand — help
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bat — the animal
  15. suit — in cards
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bank — for money
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — rain
  20. suit — clothes
  21. bank — of a river
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bank — for money
  24. fork — in a road

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