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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 116 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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. net — for catching
  3. saw — the tool
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rush — hurry
  6. court — of a king
  7. net — in sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. net — after costs
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. court — for sport
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. court — of law
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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