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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 · last · mate · chest · squash · perch · face · staff

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as 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. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. squash — to crush
  4. face — to point toward
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. squash — the sport
  10. chest — of your body
  11. last — final
  12. mate — a friend
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. staff — a stick
  18. perch — the fish
  19. face — part of the head
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. face — to confront
  23. perch — for a bird
  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