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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. squash — to crush
  5. net — in sport
  6. can — a tin
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. bat — the animal
  12. can — to be able to
  13. net — after costs
  14. chest — of your body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. net — for catching
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. can — a tin
  22. tube — the underground
  23. foot — a measure
  24. tube — a container

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