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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pop — soda
  5. hand — in cards
  6. firm — steady
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pop — to visit
  13. squash — to crush
  14. ground — the earth
  15. hand — help
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bat — the animal
  18. firm — decided
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. firm — a company
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pop — music
  23. ground — a position
  24. mouse — the animal

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