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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 116 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: bat · bound · key · lie · hand · mine · row · mouse

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. key — the most important part
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bound — obliged
  12. key — for a lock
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. hand — help
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. lie — to recline
  20. key — in music
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a line
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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