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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. land — ground
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. chest — of your body
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. net — for catching
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. land — to come down
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — a company
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. firm — decided
  16. land — a country
  17. season — of the year
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. chest — a box
  20. net — in sport
  21. season — in sport
  22. plane — a tool
  23. net — after costs
  24. plane — in geometry

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