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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. swing — to play on
  3. net — for catching
  4. club — for golf
  5. tube — a container
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. net — after costs
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. plane — a tool
  11. club — for dancing
  12. swing — music
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. tube — the underground
  15. swing — in golf
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. spring — the season
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. net — in sport
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. club — a group
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. plane — an aircraft

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