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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. fine — all right
  5. stock — shares
  6. cell — in biology
  7. mate — a partner
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cell — a phone
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. snap — to click
  14. degree — from a university
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. degree — an amount
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. mate — a friend
  22. fine — high quality
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

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