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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 120 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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. chest — of your body
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. chest — a box
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bulb — for light
  15. club — a group
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bulb — for light
  24. club — for golf

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