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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. ground — a position
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. ground — crushed
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. land — ground
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. land — a country
  15. club — a group
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. club — for golf
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. land — to come down
  22. snap — to click
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a horse colour

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