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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. ground — the earth
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. ground — a position
  5. hand — help
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. scale — in music
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. scale — size or range
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. chair — a leader
  17. hand — in cards
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. cell — in biology
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. mouse — the animal

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