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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: file · mug · squash · cap · bat · content · mouse · arm

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. content — happy
  3. mug — a face
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. content — the amount
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. file — a line of people
  9. mug — to rob
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. squash — the sport
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cap — a lid
  17. file — a tool
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. file — a document
  22. mug — a cup
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — to crush

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