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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: club · pitcher · mouse · bark · toast · game · cell · jam

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. cell — a phone
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. club — for golf
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. club — a group
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. club — for dancing
  22. toast — bread
  23. bark — to shout
  24. cell — in a prison

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