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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 124 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. row — a line
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. staff — employees
  7. bound — tied together
  8. toast — bread
  9. row — to paddle
  10. shower — to wash
  11. chest — of your body
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bound — certain
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bound — obliged
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chest — a box
  18. chip — to eat
  19. shower — rain
  20. staff — employees
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. staff — a stick

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