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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.

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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.

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: band · plane · mouse · pitcher · court · rash · mate · kid

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mate — a friend
  5. rash — a series
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. court — of a king
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. kid — child
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — a tool
  16. mate — to breed
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. court — for sport
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. court — of law
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a music group
  24. rash — hasty

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