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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mate — to breed
  3. chest — of your body
  4. roll — a list
  5. capital — money
  6. chest — a box
  7. pound — a weight
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. capital — a city
  11. row — a line
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. mate — a friend
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. roll — a cake
  24. chest — of your body

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