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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 120 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: foot · bass · capital · pitcher · game · mouse · safe · bound

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. capital — money
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. capital — a city
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — certain
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. foot — a measure
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — low music
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. game — a match
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. game — wild animals

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