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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. net — in sport
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. net — after costs
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mate — to breed
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cue — a hint
  13. mug — a face
  14. net — for catching
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mug — a cup
  20. roll — a cake
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. roll — a list

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