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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 116 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: mate · land · saw · mouse · sharp · perch · kid · suit

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. suit — clothes
  3. mate — to breed
  4. suit — to fit
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. kid — child
  8. suit — in cards
  9. mate — a friend
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. land — a country
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. perch — the fish
  18. land — ground
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mate — a partner
  21. saw — the tool
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. land — to come down

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