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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. ground — the earth
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a hole
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. shower — rain
  14. bat — the animal
  15. shower — to wash
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. chest — of your body
  18. ground — a position
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chest — a box
  22. ground — crushed
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. chest — of your body

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