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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 · rock · bass · bark · pitch · game · can · mug

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. game — a match
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bass — low music
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pitch — completely
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — a face
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. can — a tin
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bass — the fish
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bark — to shout

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