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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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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: bowl · hand · game · mug · wake · bass · cabinet · present

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. present — a gift
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. present — the time now
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a face
  16. bass — low music
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. present — there
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. game — a match
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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