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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: mouse · date · bat · spring · bass · clip · cue · fan

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — for pool
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bass — low music
  6. spring — of water
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. clip — a video
  9. date — the fruit
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. clip — for paper
  20. spring — the season
  21. cue — a hint
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. clip — to cut
  24. fan — to cool the air

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