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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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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: bore · kick · saw · fan · cabinet · mouse · rash · bat

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bat — the animal
  5. kick — in football
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bore — to tire
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bore — to drill
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. bore — gave birth

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