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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. tube — the underground
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. hand — help
  17. bat — the animal
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — a container
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — a weight

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