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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · foot · mouse · club · roll · racket · deal · pitcher

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. roll — a cake
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. roll — a list
  7. cold — not warm
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. club — for dancing
  11. deal — to handle
  12. club — a group
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. foot — a measure
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. cold — an illness
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. club — for golf

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