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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 120 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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. net — after costs
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bound — tied together
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bound — certain
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. row — a line
  16. last — final
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bound — obliged
  24. row — to paddle

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