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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 120 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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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. mug — a cup
  4. squash — to crush
  5. cap — of ice
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. band — a music group
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. band — a ring
  10. mug — a face
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. cap — a hat
  13. mug — to rob
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bass — low music
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. cap — a lid
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. mouse — the animal

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