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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. swing — music
  8. stock — goods
  9. root — the cause
  10. pitch — completely
  11. root — of a plant
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. stock — shares
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. capital — a city
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. capital — money
  20. mate — a partner
  21. root — of a word
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — in golf

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