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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: drill · perch · firm · mug · mate · last · wake · deal

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  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. last — final
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. last — to go on
  4. drill — army training
  5. firm — decided
  6. mate — to breed
  7. drill — a practice
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. firm — a company
  10. mate — a partner
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. mug — a face
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. last — finally
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. deal — to handle
  17. mate — a friend
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wake — a trail
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. firm — steady
  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