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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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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ball — a dance
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bear — the animal
  10. spring — of water
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. capital — a city
  18. ball — a great time
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. spring — a coil
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. spring — the season
  24. capital — money

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