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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. file — a line of people
  4. suit — clothes
  5. degree — from a university
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. game — a match
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. suit — in cards
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bass — low music
  17. degree — temperature
  18. suit — to fit
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. degree — an amount
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wound — an injury

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