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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. object — a thing
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. degree — an amount
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. wax — to grow
  10. spring — of water
  11. fall — the season
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. object — an aim
  19. spring — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. object — to protest
  23. pitch — completely
  24. spring — a coil

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