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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. drill — army training
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bass — the fish
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. row — to paddle
  8. hand — in cards
  9. band — a music group
  10. hand — help
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bass — low music
  13. band — a ring
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. kid — child
  20. drill — the tool
  21. kid — to tease
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. toast — bread

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