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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. charge — in control
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. spring — the season
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — electricity
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. spring — of water
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. spring — a coil
  21. fork — in a road
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. last — finally
  24. nail — for a hammer

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