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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. spell — letters
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — music
  8. perch — the fish
  9. snap — to click
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. spell — magic
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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