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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 116 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: field · cell · deal · mouse · mug · bass · pound · board

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. cell — a phone
  3. board — to get on
  4. mug — a face
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bass — low music
  8. field — farmland
  9. pound — a weight
  10. field — for sport
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bass — the fish
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cell — in biology
  19. field — a subject
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. board — a committee
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. pound — for dogs

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