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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. fine — all right
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. kid — child
  6. shower — to wash
  7. kid — to tease
  8. shower — rain
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fine — high quality
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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