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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. dip — to sink
  4. spell — a short time
  5. game — a match
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. spell — letters
  14. stand — to bear
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wound — an injury
  21. spell — magic
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. wound — an injury
  24. track — to keep track

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