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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 116 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: fan · cell · mouse · mate · last · pop · scale · firm

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cell — in biology
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. firm — steady
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. last — finally
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. firm — decided
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. firm — a company
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pop — music
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. fan — to cool the air

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