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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 120 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mug — a face
  4. spring — of water
  5. root — of a word
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. ball — a great time
  8. last — final
  9. file — a document
  10. spring — the season
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. stock — shares
  13. mug — to rob
  14. last — to go on
  15. spring — a coil
  16. last — finally
  17. mug — a cup
  18. root — the cause
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. root — of a plant
  22. stock — goods
  23. file — a line of people
  24. ball — a dance

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