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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. kid — to tease
  3. shower — rain
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mate — a friend
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. land — a country
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. land — ground
  12. key — for a lock
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. land — to come down
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. kid — child
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. shower — to wash
  21. key — in music
  22. mine — for digging
  23. key — the most important part
  24. mate — a partner

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