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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 124 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. cell — a phone
  4. saw — the tool
  5. ground — a position
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. staff — a stick
  11. march — the month
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. march — music
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. saw — the tool
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bulb — for light
  20. march — the month
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mouse — the animal

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