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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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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: lean · mate · mouse · rest · fall · last · pit · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. mate — a partner
  3. fall — the season
  4. pit — a hole
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rest — what's left
  7. lean — thin
  8. rest — what's left
  9. last — finally
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. lean — to bend
  14. rest — a break
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cold — an illness
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. pit — in a race
  19. mate — a friend
  20. last — to go on
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. last — final

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