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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 116 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 · game · bay · wake · sharp · content · field · rock

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. content — happy
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. field — farmland
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. sharp — clever
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. field — a subject
  16. rock — music
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. field — for sport
  19. game — a match
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. content — the amount
  24. rock — a stone

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