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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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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 · last · bowl · can · wound · saw · net · deal

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. can — a tin
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. net — for catching
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. last — to go on
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. net — in sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. deal — to handle
  14. net — after costs
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. last — final
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. saw — the tool
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. last — finally
  24. saw — the tool

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