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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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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: swing · rule · mouse · cell · squash · mug · tear · kid

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. squash — the sport
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mug — a cup
  6. swing — music
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cell — in biology
  9. squash — to crush
  10. mug — a face
  11. rule — a law
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. rule — government
  14. tear — from crying
  15. swing — in golf
  16. kid — child
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. kid — to tease
  19. mug — to rob
  20. swing — to play on
  21. tear — to rip
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. cell — a phone

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