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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. net — after costs
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bulb — for light
  10. scale — size or range
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. tube — a container
  14. net — for catching
  15. ball — a dance
  16. scale — in music
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. net — in sport
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. ball — a round shape

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