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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. charge — electricity
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. swing — music
  6. mug — to rob
  7. charge — a price
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mug — a cup
  10. swing — to play on
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. track — a song
  16. charge — in control
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mug — a face
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. date — the fruit
  21. fall — to drop
  22. swing — in golf
  23. track — a path
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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