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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. dip — to sink
  5. mug — a face
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. march — the month
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mug — to rob
  13. march — music
  14. mate — a friend
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. game — a match
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. mate — a partner
  23. tear — from crying
  24. march — the month

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