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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pop — music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. scale — in music
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pop — soda
  14. content — happy
  15. game — a match
  16. pop — to visit
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. deal — to handle
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. content — the amount
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. patient — a sick person

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