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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 116 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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. field — farmland
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. field — a subject
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. craft — a skill
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. land — ground
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. field — for sport
  13. craft — boats
  14. land — to come down
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. snap — to click
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. scale — in music
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. scale — size or range
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. land — a country
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. safe — out of danger

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