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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wind — moving air
  4. last — finally
  5. mate — a partner
  6. staff — employees
  7. mate — a friend
  8. last — final
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. stem — to come from
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. wind — moving air
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. staff — a stick
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. staff — employees
  20. dip — to sink
  21. last — to go on
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mate — to breed

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