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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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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: bowl · mate · mark · toast · cold · rest · mouse · shower

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. toast — bread
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rest — a break
  16. mark — a grade
  17. shower — rain
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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