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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. club — a group
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — an illness
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. spring — the season
  10. club — for golf
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — a tool
  14. spring — a coil
  15. mug — a face
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mug — a cup
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mug — to rob
  22. spring — of water
  23. club — for dancing
  24. hand — help

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