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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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mine — for digging
  3. march — the month
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. file — a line of people
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. key — in music
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bear — the animal
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. file — a tool
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. file — a document
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. key — for a lock
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. key — the most important part
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up 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