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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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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. net — for catching
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. net — after costs
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bound — obliged
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — hurry
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bound — certain
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. net — in sport
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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