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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — an illness
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wake — a trail
  8. current — of water
  9. bank — for money
  10. court — of law
  11. current — electric
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bank — of a river
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. court — for sport
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bank — for money
  19. saw — the tool
  20. court — of a king
  21. current — happening now
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cold — not warm
  24. saw — the tool

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