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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. content — the amount
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. squash — to crush
  12. content — happy
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wax — to grow
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bat — the animal
  23. wax — in the ear
  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