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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 124 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — an aim
  6. rush — hurry
  7. land — to come down
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. land — ground
  10. chip — to eat
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. cell — in biology
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. cell — a phone
  17. object — to protest
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. chip — for betting
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. land — a country
  24. mouse — for a computer

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