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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bass · mine · press · drill · rash · pit · racket

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mine — for digging
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rash — a series
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. press — to push
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. pit — a hole

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