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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: net · season · kid · rock · staff · mouse · dip · fine

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. kid — child
  3. season — in sport
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — to tease
  8. net — after costs
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. net — in sport
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. fine — all right
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. staff — employees
  19. season — of the year
  20. rock — music
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. net — for catching
  24. dip — to sink

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