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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: last · mouse · mine · squash · lie · pound · bat · temple

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. pound — a weight
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. squash — to crush
  10. lie — to recline
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. last — to go on
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bat — the animal
  21. squash — the sport
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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