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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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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: mouse · mug · calf · mate · toast · saw · drill · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. saw — the tool
  3. toast — bread
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. clip — to cut
  6. mug — a face
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — army training
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mate — to breed
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. clip — a video
  24. drill — the tool

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