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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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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: row · mouse · last · cell · dip · present · hide · stick

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. cell — a phone
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. dip — to sink
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. last — final
  13. last — finally
  14. present — a gift
  15. row — to paddle
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. present — the time now
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cell — in biology
  21. present — there
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. last — to go on

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