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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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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. spring — of water
  6. lean — to bend
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mate — to breed
  9. club — for golf
  10. mate — a friend
  11. club — a group
  12. lean — thin
  13. file — a tool
  14. spring — the season
  15. club — for dancing
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document
  19. mark — a trace
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mate — a partner
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mouse — the animal

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