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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mate — a friend
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. stock — shares
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. stock — goods
  15. pop — soda
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pop — music
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pop — to visit
  23. saw — the tool
  24. ball — a dance

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