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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: rash · pop · cap · cell · mug · bass · bowl · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. pop — music
  4. cap — of ice
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cell — a phone
  8. mug — a cup
  9. cap — a lid
  10. rash — a series
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a face
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bass — the fish
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. kid — to tease

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