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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. content — the amount
  6. capital — money
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. ball — a great time
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. tube — the underground
  13. content — happy
  14. tube — a container
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. capital — a city
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. mouse — for a computer

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