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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bound — obliged
  5. file — a document
  6. cap — a lid
  7. file — a tool
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. file — a line of people
  10. march — the month
  11. net — in sport
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. ball — a dance
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bound — certain
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. march — music

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