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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bear — the animal
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. row — a line
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. hide — to keep secret

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