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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: season · wave · mug · file · chair · mine · mouse · cold

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. season — in sport
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cold — not warm
  6. mug — a face
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a document
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. season — of the year
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. mug — a cup
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. chair — a leader
  23. file — a line of people
  24. season — to add flavour

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