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

Word bank: snap · mouse · kick · tear · roll · wave · bat · ball

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. tear — to rip
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. tear — from crying
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. snap — to click
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — a list
  19. ball — a great time
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  24. ball — a dance

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