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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 120 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: mug · kid · game · staff · foot · hand · ball · bass

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. staff — employees
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. mug — a cup
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. foot — a measure
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mug — to rob
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. game — a match
  19. hand — help
  20. kid — to tease
  21. mug — a face
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. kid — child
  24. game — wild animals

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