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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mate — to breed
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rush — hurry
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rush — a thrill

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