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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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Word bank
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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. game — a match
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. board — a committee
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. board — to get on
  16. sharp — clever
  17. cell — in biology
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. game — wild animals
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. mouse — the animal

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