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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. fall — the season
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bulb — for light
  10. snap — to click
  11. saw — the tool
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. shower — rain
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. chair — a leader
  18. row — a line
  19. shower — to wash
  20. fall — to drop
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fall — to drop

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