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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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. net — in sport
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. tube — the underground
  8. net — for catching
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. net — after costs
  11. tube — a container
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. snap — to click
  15. scale — in music
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. scale — size or range
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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