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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · stick · cabinet · saw · cold · mate · mouse · land

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. cold — an illness
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. mate — a partner
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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