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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: date · band · bat · ground · mouse · key · pitcher · saw

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. bat — the animal
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. key — in music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. date — the fruit
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. band — a music group
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. key — the most important part
  18. ground — a position
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ground — crushed
  21. band — a ring
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. ground — the earth
  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