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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: mate · last · mouse · cold · mine · bowl · pound · hide

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cold — an illness
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. last — finally
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. last — to go on
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. mate — a friend
  20. last — final
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pound — a weight
  24. cold — not warm

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