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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mate · deal · arm · drill · pitcher · trunk · face

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. mate — a partner
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. face — part of the head
  7. drill — army training
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. drill — the tool
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. deal — to handle
  20. drill — a practice
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. face — to confront
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. mouse — the animal

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