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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. sharp — clever
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. last — finally
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. drill — army training
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. last — to go on
  10. hand — help
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bat — the animal
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. last — final
  20. drill — the tool
  21. hand — in cards
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. drill — a practice
  24. sharp — with an edge

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