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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. net — for catching
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. net — after costs
  5. fall — the season
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. ball — a dance
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rush — hurry
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fall — to drop
  20. net — in sport
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fall — to drop

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