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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. fine — all right
  4. ground — the earth
  5. field — for sport
  6. kid — to tease
  7. ground — crushed
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. track — a song
  13. field — a subject
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. field — farmland
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. ground — a position
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. fine — high quality
  23. kid — child
  24. wave — of the sea

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