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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 116 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. staff — employees
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cold — an illness
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. staff — employees
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. file — a tool
  24. mouse — for a computer

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