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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. track — to keep track
  7. last — final
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. track — a path
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. last — finally
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wake — a trail
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. track — a song
  21. pitch — completely
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. last — to go on

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