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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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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: cue · bass · track · cold · shower · squash · mouse · net

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. squash — the sport
  3. cue — for pool
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bass — low music
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. shower — rain
  9. net — in sport
  10. track — a path
  11. cue — a signal
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cue — a hint
  15. track — to keep track
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. net — for catching
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. squash — to crush
  20. track — a song
  21. cold — not warm
  22. net — after costs
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. mouse — the animal

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