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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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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 · swing · cap · bass · wind · snap · toast · mine

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bass — the fish
  4. swing — in golf
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. toast — bread
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. wind — moving air
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cap — a lid
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bass — low music
  23. swing — music
  24. mine — for digging

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