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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: shower · straw · mine · mug · board · mouse · pop · bat

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pop — music
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. shower — rain
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. shower — to wash
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. board — a committee
  16. mug — a face
  17. pop — to visit
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pop — soda
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. board — to get on
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. straw — a straw man

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