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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. toast — bread
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. can — a tin
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bass — low music
  12. can — a tin
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. tear — to rip
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. tear — from crying
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. coach — a trainer

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