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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 · suit · foot · bear · pop · cold · kid · roll

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. suit — to fit
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. roll — a list
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. cold — an illness
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pop — soda
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. suit — in cards
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. foot — a measure
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. roll — a cake
  23. suit — clothes
  24. cold — the Cold War

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