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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. stock — shares
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cell — a phone
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — an aim
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cell — in biology
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. object — to protest
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. fork — to eat with

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