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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. net — after costs
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chair — a leader
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bear — the animal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. dip — to sink
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. net — in sport
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. net — for catching
  24. mouse — the animal

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