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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: toast · wound · ground · bat · saw · deal · hide · mouse

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bat — the animal
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. toast — bread
  13. ground — a position
  14. wound — an injury
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wound — an injury
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. saw — the tool
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bat — for baseball

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