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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 · mine · mate · saw · jam · chip · rash · net

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. net — after costs
  3. mate — a friend
  4. saw — the tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rash — a series
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. rash — hasty
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. net — in sport
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — to eat
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mate — to breed

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