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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 120 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: mate · net · mouse · cue · fine · spell · chest · wake

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cue — a signal
  4. net — after costs
  5. fine — high quality
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. net — for catching
  8. chest — a box
  9. fine — all right
  10. cue — a hint
  11. spell — a short time
  12. net — in sport
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mate — to breed
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cue — for pool
  20. spell — magic
  21. chest — of your body
  22. spell — letters
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. mouse — for a computer

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