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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. row — to paddle
  3. lie — to recline
  4. key — in music
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. spring — of water
  13. wind — moving air
  14. key — the most important part
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wind — moving air
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bat — the animal
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. key — for a lock
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. row — a line

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