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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: rule · mug · file · mate · bass · face · mouse · stick

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mug — a face
  9. rule — government
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a tool
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mug — to rob
  17. face — part of the head
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rule — a law
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bass — the fish
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. rule — to rule out

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