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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. game — wild animals
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bound — certain
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. hand — help
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. scale — in music
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bound — tied together
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. face — to confront
  24. game — a match

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