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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 · bark · date · straw · sharp · chip · lean · bat

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. lean — to bend
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. chip — for betting
  14. date — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. lean — thin
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bark — to shout

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