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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. net — in sport
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. capital — money
  8. field — for sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mark — a trace
  15. capital — a city
  16. field — a subject
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. net — for catching
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — farmland
  24. net — after costs

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