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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. spring — the season
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. scale — size or range
  9. spring — of water
  10. squash — the sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. scale — in music
  13. net — after costs
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pitcher — a jug

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