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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: lie · club · mate · dip · mug · stick · bowl · mouse

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. mug — a cup
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. dip — to sink
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. club — for golf
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mate — a partner
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. club — a group
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. club — for dancing
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. mug — to rob

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