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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. land — to come down
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. stock — shares
  7. net — in sport
  8. track — a song
  9. cue — a signal
  10. net — for catching
  11. land — ground
  12. cue — a hint
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ground — a position
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. land — a country
  18. cue — for pool
  19. net — after costs
  20. track — a path
  21. stock — goods
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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