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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mate — a friend
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. game — a match
  8. foot — a measure
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mate — a partner
  11. root — of a plant
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mate — to breed
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. game — wild animals
  18. root — the cause
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. file — a tool
  21. root — of a word
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a hole

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