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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. can — a tin
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bat — the animal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spring — the season
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. can — to be able to
  18. spring — of water
  19. can — a tin
  20. spring — a coil
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to click
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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