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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — the sport
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. squash — to crush
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. row — a line
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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