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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. dip — to sink
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. scale — in music
  6. date — the fruit
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spell — letters
  9. ground — a position
  10. scale — size or range
  11. spell — magic
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. spell — a short time
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wind — moving air

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