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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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. arm — part of the body
  4. field — farmland
  5. land — a country
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. date — the fruit
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — goods
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. land — to come down
  15. field — for sport
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. field — a subject
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. stock — shares
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. land — ground
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. arm — a part of something

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