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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 · pop · last · mouse · pitcher · season · net · rest

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rest — a break
  3. pop — soda
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. net — for catching
  13. last — finally
  14. net — after costs
  15. last — to go on
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pop — music
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. net — in sport
  20. last — final
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. pop — to visit
  24. season — of the year

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