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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bear — the animal
  4. date — the fruit
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bear — the animal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. stock — goods
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cell — in biology
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. stock — shares
  21. cell — a phone
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. saw — the tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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