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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: cell · mate · degree · jam · last · lie · hand · mouse

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  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. last — finally
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cell — a phone
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. last — to go on
  12. lie — to recline
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. mate — a partner
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. degree — temperature
  19. last — final
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cell — in biology
  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