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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 · mouse · fine · season · rush · cabinet · wind · lie

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. season — in sport
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. season — of the year
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fine — all right
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. lie — an untruth

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