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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 · squash · bay · face · kid · hand · rock · shower

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rock — music
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. face — part of the head
  6. squash — to crush
  7. hand — help
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rock — a stone
  10. face — to confront
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. hand — in cards
  14. shower — to wash
  15. squash — the sport
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. shower — rain
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. kid — child
  22. face — to point toward
  23. kid — to tease
  24. rock — to move gently

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