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

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. net — for catching
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — a cup
  6. last — final
  7. race — humankind
  8. last — to go on
  9. band — a ring
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mug — to rob
  14. saw — the tool
  15. race — a contest
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bass — low music
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bass — the fish
  23. last — finally
  24. band — a music group

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