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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 120 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. fine — high quality
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. fine — all right
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. land — to come down
  15. bore — to tire
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bore — to drill
  21. hand — help
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. wake — a trail

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