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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: firm · mouse · shower · bark · game · bat · wind · arm

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wind — moving air
  3. firm — a company
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. game — wild animals
  8. firm — decided
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bark — to shout
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bat — the animal
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. game — a match
  23. wind — moving air
  24. firm — steady

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