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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. spring — of water
  9. march — the month
  10. rock — a stone
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. march — the month
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. spring — the season
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stock — shares
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. stock — goods
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bat — the animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. march — music
  24. spring — a coil

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