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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. season — in sport
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bark — to shout
  6. season — of the year
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. cue — a signal
  11. scale — size or range
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. scale — in music
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a hint
  20. kid — to tease
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. pitcher — in baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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