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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. ball — a great time
  6. mine — for digging
  7. net — after costs
  8. squash — the sport
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. net — in sport
  15. scale — in music
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bat — the animal
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. net — for catching
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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