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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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. mate — a partner
  2. rash — a series
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. track — a song
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rash — hasty
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. track — a path
  10. game — a match
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. track — to keep track
  14. game — wild animals
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. stock — goods
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stock — shares
  21. staff — employees
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mouse — the animal
  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