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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 120 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: hide · last · row · mouse · mate · deal · mug · wind

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. last — to go on
  4. row — a line
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. mate — to breed
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. deal — to handle
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. row — to paddle
  18. last — finally
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. mate — a partner
  23. last — final
  24. row — a quarrel

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