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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. saw — the tool
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. spring — a coil
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stock — shares
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. spring — the season
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. spring — of water

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