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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 120 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: march · rest · mouse · bass · mug · mine · bound · cell

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bound — certain
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mug — to rob
  16. march — the month
  17. mug — a face
  18. cell — in biology
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bass — low music
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. bass — the instrument

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