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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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468
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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — a container
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mate — a friend
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. season — in sport
  14. mate — to breed
  15. stock — shares
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. fork — in a road
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. season — of the year
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stock — goods
  24. tube — in a tire

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