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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
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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 · file · calf · mine · snap · court · shower · hide

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. court — for sport
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. shower — to wash
  6. mine — for digging
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. file — a tool
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. file — a document
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. file — a line of people
  21. shower — rain
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. snap — to click
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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