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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bore — to tire
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bass — the fish
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to drill
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. cold — not warm
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bass — low music
  24. prune — to trim

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