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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mate — a partner
  3. net — in sport
  4. mate — a friend
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. content — happy
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. content — the amount
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mate — to breed
  12. face — to confront
  13. plane — a tool
  14. vault — a safe
  15. face — part of the head
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. face — to point toward
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. kid — child
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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