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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. march — the month
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. march — music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. kick — in football
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bark — to shout
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. march — the month
  24. mouse — the animal

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