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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: mouse · pitcher · mate · wound · jam · last · bark · fine

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. last — finally
  3. mate — a friend
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. fine — all right
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mate — to breed

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