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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. current — of water
  3. bat — the animal
  4. current — electric
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. spring — a coil
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spring — of water
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. spring — the season
  14. ground — crushed
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. game — wild animals
  18. current — happening now
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. ground — a position
  21. game — a match
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. ground — the earth

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