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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. last — to go on
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. row — a line
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. clip — to cut
  11. hand — help
  12. last — final
  13. bulb — for light
  14. row — to paddle
  15. hand — in cards
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. last — finally
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. mouse — the animal

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