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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: ground · game · bound · mouse · wave · kid · saw · bat

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. saw — the tool
  7. game — a match
  8. ground — a position
  9. bound — tied together
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bound — certain
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bound — obliged
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — crushed
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. mouse — for a computer

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