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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lean — thin
  4. cell — in biology
  5. present — there
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. season — of the year
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. present — a gift
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. hand — in cards
  13. lean — to bend
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. season — in sport
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. nail — for a hammer

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