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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: toast · straw · spell · mate · face · present · mouse · fall

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mate — a partner
  4. fall — the season
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — part of the head
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fall — to drop
  14. toast — bread
  15. spell — magic
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. present — there
  21. mate — to breed
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  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