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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 116 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: racket · mug · mouse · drill · scale · shower · cell · cap

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. drill — the tool
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cap — a lid
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mug — a face
  12. scale — in music
  13. shower — rain
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. cap — a hat
  16. drill — army training
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cap — of ice
  22. drill — a practice
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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