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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. saw — the tool
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. cap — of ice
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. content — happy
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wound — an injury
  23. content — the amount
  24. swing — in golf

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