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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. track — to keep track
  4. ball — a dance
  5. drill — army training
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. stock — goods
  8. drill — a practice
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. fine — high quality
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. ball — a great time
  19. track — a song
  20. file — a line of people
  21. track — a path
  22. fine — all right
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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