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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. snap — to click
  4. track — to keep track
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. sharp — clever
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. track — a song
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. tear — from crying
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wake — a trail
  22. tear — to rip
  23. can — a tin
  24. track — a path

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