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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mate — a partner
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. band — a music group
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. season — in sport
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. band — a ring
  20. cap — a hat
  21. season — of the year
  22. mate — to breed
  23. file — a tool
  24. mate — a friend

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