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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: racket · file · kid · mug · bass · squash · bay · hand

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. file — a tool
  3. mug — a cup
  4. hand — help
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. squash — the sport
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bass — the fish
  13. squash — to crush
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. file — a document
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. hand — in cards
  18. file — a line of people
  19. mug — to rob
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mug — a face
  23. kid — child
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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