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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · straw · wave · swing · mouse · date · pitcher · sharp

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. mate — to breed
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. date — the fruit
  12. sharp — clever
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. swing — to play on
  16. mate — a partner
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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