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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: mouse · lie · track · mate · season · cold · pop · stand

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. track — a song
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pop — to visit
  6. mate — a friend
  7. lie — to recline
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. cold — an illness
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pop — music
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mate — a partner
  17. track — to keep track
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. track — a path
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — to bear
  24. pop — soda

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