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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · rule · pitcher · lean · wound · sharp · kid · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. lean — to bend
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. kid — child
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — a law
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fine — high quality
  11. kid — to tease
  12. lean — thin
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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