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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. kick — in football
  6. pitch — completely
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bass — low music
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. spring — the season
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bass — the fish
  15. game — a match
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. spring — of water
  20. lean — thin
  21. craft — boats
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. spring — a coil
  24. craft — a handicraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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