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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  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. squash — to crush
  3. bat — the animal
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pass — a permit
  6. shower — to wash
  7. firm — decided
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. shower — rain
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. firm — steady
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. row — a line
  22. squash — the sport
  23. firm — a company
  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