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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: mouse · chair · bay · rash · mate · bat · racket · game

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. rash — a series
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mate — a partner
  13. game — a match
  14. rash — hasty
  15. mate — to breed
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mate — a friend
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mouse — the animal

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