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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: scale · mate · pop · kid · mouse · mine · foot · drill

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. pop — music
  6. drill — army training
  7. pop — soda
  8. mine — for digging
  9. scale — size or range
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. drill — a practice
  19. kid — to tease
  20. pop — to visit
  21. drill — the tool
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. scale — in music
  24. kid — child

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