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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. track — a song
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mine — for digging
  11. track — a path
  12. ground — a position
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stock — goods
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stock — shares
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. ground — the earth

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