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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. net — in sport
  4. rock — a stone
  5. shower — rain
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. tube — the underground
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. cap — of ice
  10. rock — music
  11. net — for catching
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. cap — a lid
  16. net — after costs
  17. tube — a container
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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