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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: mouse · date · pitcher · straw · racket · cap · march · bulb

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. march — the month
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. march — the month
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. march — music
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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