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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. roll — a list
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. roll — a cake
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. mate — a partner
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. mug — a cup
  17. scale — size or range
  18. kid — child
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. scale — in music
  21. squash — to crush
  22. mug — a face
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. scale — for weighing

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