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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. kid — child
  6. mine — for digging
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. board — to get on
  12. content — happy
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. content — the amount
  18. prune — to trim
  19. season — in sport
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. kid — to tease
  22. board — a committee
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. season — of the year

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