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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: mouse · content · mine · rock · last · lean · bat · hide

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. last — finally
  4. content — happy
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. content — the amount
  10. last — to go on
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. last — final
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. lean — thin
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. lean — to bend
  22. rock — a stone
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bat — the animal

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