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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. hand — in cards
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. stem — to come from
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hand — help
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. plane — a tool
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rush — hurry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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