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

Word bank: club · face · cell · mate · mouse · racket

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. club — a group
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cell — in biology
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. face — to confront
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. club — for dancing
  14. mate — to breed
  15. club — for golf
  16. face — part of the head
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cell — a phone

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