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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: mouse · track · bat · bound · snap · kid · squash · pitcher

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bound — certain
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. track — a path
  8. bound — obliged
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — child
  22. snap — to click
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. track — a song

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