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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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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. toast — bread
  4. row — a line
  5. net — in sport
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wound — an injury
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. club — for golf
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — part of the head
  13. net — after costs
  14. game — wild animals
  15. club — a group
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. face — to point toward
  18. row — to paddle
  19. game — a match
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. mouse — 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