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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — steady
  6. bear — the animal
  7. track — a song
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. clip — for paper
  12. firm — decided
  13. clip — to cut
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mate — a partner
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. clip — a video
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bear — the animal
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. mate — to breed
  24. leaves — to go away

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