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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: mouse · net · bowl · date · wound · fan · lie · pitcher

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. lie — to recline
  11. net — for catching
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. date — the fruit
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. fan — to cool the air

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