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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. staff — a stick
  3. present — a gift
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. stock — shares
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. spring — of water
  9. present — there
  10. stock — goods
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. game — wild animals
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. game — a match
  20. staff — employees
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. saw — the tool
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. present — the time now

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