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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · foot · mouse · cap · wake · kid

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. kid — child
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wake — a trail
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. foot — a measure
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. cap — a hat
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. foot — the bottom

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