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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. present — there
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. present — a gift
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. hand — help
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — a position
  22. wake — a trail
  23. hand — in cards
  24. present — the time now

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