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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. charge — electricity
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. clip — for paper
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — from a university
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. capital — a city
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. craft — boats
  17. degree — temperature
  18. craft — a skill
  19. capital — money
  20. charge — in control
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. clip — a video
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. charge — a price

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