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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. chip — to eat
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. scale — in music
  10. mine — for digging
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. chip — for betting
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to click

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