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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. march — the month
  3. mate — a partner
  4. land — to come down
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. march — the month
  11. mate — a friend
  12. shower — to wash
  13. net — after costs
  14. land — a country
  15. net — for catching
  16. shower — rain
  17. march — music
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. snap — to click
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. net — in sport
  24. land — ground

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