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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. tube — a container
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. stock — shares
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to sink
  7. ground — the earth
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cap — a hat
  11. season — of the year
  12. stock — goods
  13. ground — a position
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cap — of ice
  18. season — in sport
  19. cap — a lid
  20. ground — crushed
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. tube — the underground

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