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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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. rush — a thrill
  4. file — a tool
  5. content — happy
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. net — for catching
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. content — the amount
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. file — a document
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. capital — money
  18. rush — hurry
  19. capital — a city
  20. net — after costs
  21. stock — goods
  22. net — in sport
  23. file — a line of people
  24. stock — shares

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