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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. stock — shares
  3. file — a line of people
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. hand — in cards
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. season — in sport
  9. spring — the season
  10. face — to confront
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — goods
  13. hand — help
  14. file — a document
  15. spring — of water
  16. file — a tool
  17. face — part of the head
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. spring — a coil
  20. face — to point toward
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — of the year
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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